From paintings and sketches to sculptures and computer graphics, art is a beauty of our culture. Many are just admirers who appreciate the works of art they come across, but some, especially some students here at Liverpool High School, are gifted creators of beautiful art works.

“Many people don’t know this, but LHS has some pretty awesome artists, so much that LHS has been named a school of distinction because of our artists,” said senior Eve Rosekrans.

For these talented LHS artists, a new opportunity has come. An LHS chapter of the National Art Honor Society has recently been started, and it is already 50 members strong.

The group’s mission statement:

The National Art Honor Society is a program specifically for high school students, for the purpose of inspiring and recognizing those students who have shown an outstanding ability in art. The NAHS strives to aid members in working toward the attainment of the highest standards in art areas, and to bring art education to the attention of the school and community.

“To become a part of the Society, one must be taking at least one art class and then [he/she] must be recommended by [his/her] art teacher,” said senior Erica Cotten.

Colleen Lisson, the adviser of the Society at LHS, added that students must maintain their grades at a certain level in their art classes and participate in the art world outside of the classroom.

The new LHS chapter would not have happened without Lisson. She was on sabbatical last spring and had time to conduct research. After she came to understand the Society, she prepared a proposal that would win school board approval.

NAHS bears some similarities to the National Honor Society already well established at LHS. The group requires volunteer hours, as does the NAHS, but with a twist: NAHS students must complete “eight community hours [which are] art-related,” Lisson said.

In this way, the society is able to not only study art with each other, but also bring art directly into the community. “We’re helping make the community ‘artsy,’” said senior Heather Hensen.

“We have a ton of great ideas that involve how to make our community more art-educated. There has been talk of murals in hospitals and museums, and we have also discussed the possibility of showing school administrators our work,” Rosekrans said.

There are many benefits to joining NAHS. “It looks awesome on resumes… [Seniors] receive a graduation cord if [they] have met all the requirements,” Rosekrans said.

“It’s helping me expand on my creative career. We all try to work with different media then we’re use to.” Hensen said.