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Seven East Islip High School student-artists – Freshmen Haley Hannigan, Kayla Lopez and Erin McLoughlin; sophomores Stephanie Findley, Kyla Timmer and Maddalena Toto; and junior Casy With – participated in this year’s New York State Art Teachers Association Portfolio Project.

The Portfolio Project is an initiative of NYSATA that was developed in cooperation with the New York State Education Department. Based on the New York State Learning Standards, it provides students with an opportunity to present portfolios of their work that show evidence of understanding and student learning in the visual arts.  

“Our students worked throughout the year to prepare a visual arts portfolio with multiple pieces,” teacher Amarilis Singh said. “This included writing an artist statement, a piece of writing that helps the audience understand the artwork, describing what it’s made, how it's made and why it's made. The students also researched a topic of interest, artist, or artistic period to inspire a piece of artwork and write a paper about the process. I am so proud of each one of them, their commitment and dedication. I am excited to now have received training to help students prepare their portfolios, and next year I will be able to join the NYSATA Portfolio Project as an adjudicator. 

“This is my first year participating in the Portfolio Project, and it was a great learning experience,” student Haley Hannigan said. “I was challenged with working with new mediums, studying artistic styles that inspired some of my pieces and writing about the work of masters and my own. Using different materials and techniques, I worked independently, which showed that I am more capable than I thought. Getting evaluated is not a scary thing, it’s a great way to receive feedback on how I can improve my work from someone outside of school. I am excited to do this again next year and I encourage others to give it a try if they’re up for the challenge.”

“I’m very grateful for the NYSATA Portfolio Project,” student Maddalena Toto said. “Getting to share my art and receive feedback so I can improve is something I look forward to every day. This is my second year, and I can’t wait to participate again next year. Creating the portfolio was a great learning experience for preparing for college.”

“We are excited to continue this new tradition of sending our art students to the NYSATA Portfolio Project for their work to be assessed in an authentic setting,” East Islip Director of Art and Music Dr. Rob Wottawa said. “With the guidance of our outstanding teachers, our students have found great success, and we are so very proud of each of them. We hope to continue to grow student participation in the years to come.”

Date Added: 6/9/2023