Heidi Junes, left, and Aster Dean, are Astoria High School students whose artwork was included in a January display at The Rusty Cup in Astoria.
The Rusty Cup, an Astoria coffee shop, has a history of displaying local artwork.
Now, thanks to a partnership between owner Brian Medford and the visual arts department at Astoria High School, it will serve as a venue for student artists to share their creations.
“We have a lot of high school students that come into the shop, so I just like the idea of being able to do something for them and give them an opportunity,” Medford said, adding it is a way to celebrate and acknowledge the work that they’re doing.
Continuing a traditionKristy Cross, the previous owner of the Rusty Cup, implemented the art wall concept to showcase local talent, and Medford has carried on the tradition since taking ownership.
Last fall, it occurred to him the shop could partner with the local high school to support budding artists.
“I thought, ‘Why not? Let’s make it available to students,’” Medford said, adding he has several close friends with children in local schools. “If there is anything we can do to help anyone have a better high school experience — even if it’s just putting your art on a wall at some teeny little coffee shop downtown — we’ll do it. So it’s a good partnership for us.”
Mickey Cereghino, the art teacher at Astoria High School, was on board with the idea.
The coffee shop plans to feature art from local high school students on a rotating basis throughout the year.
“I’m always excited to get art out of this classroom and let other people see it and enjoy it,” Cereghino said. “I get to, every single day, see these guys create things and make things and watch this generation do amazingly positive things. If it’s not out there for people to see, we’re just in a vacuum.”
The art program hosts a show each fall for students to be able to display and share their creations with family, friends and the community. They’ve also exhibited student artwork at Columbia Memorial Hospital and the Clatsop County Department of Public Health.
However, this is the first time the students have been given a full-year rotation at a downtown business, Cereghino said, adding, “It’s just a really cool location.”
For January, the display included works by four students of Cereghino’s. As the year continues, he’s deliberating whether the display will involve a “smorgasbord of artists each month” or if there will be a couple of months reserved for some student artists to have solo exhibitions.
Students are given the option to assess the value of their artwork and add a price tag. So far, all four of the January pieces have sold. The Rusty Cup coordinates the logistics of the sale for the students. However, Medford said, “If they don’t want to sell it, that doesn’t mean they don’t get to display it at the shop.”
Connecting peopleAster Dean, a junior at Astoria High School, and Heidi Junes, a freshman, were both involved in January’s exhibition. They expressed gratitude and excitement about the experience.
“We’re still starting out, but I think it’s important we get chances to explore the field and be part of the community and immerse ourselves with Astoria,” Dean said.
For Junes, art is a way to tell stories and communicate feelings, and “unite people when they share certain feelings toward certain artwork.” She likes to create personal pieces, but also considers what subjects might have wider appeal.
“When it’s presented, it’s really great to have something other people connect to,” she added. For example, she chose to show a graphite portrait of Elvis Presley for the fall art show, themed “Memory Lane” because she felt it would invoke a sense of nostalgia.
Dean’s approach as an artist also involves telling a story, but they enjoy hiding “deeper meanings so people can use their imagination and make the artwork their own, in a way, when they see it.”
“Art is a great way to remind people how everyone is human,” they added. “Even if we have different ideologies, we all feel the same feelings.”