The art display at Oak Ridge Public Library for September is a collection of illustrations created by art students of Jim Dodson from Jefferson Middle School.
These 19 tempera paintings were inspired by Ed Westcott’s photographs of early Oak Ridge. Some of the paintings were submitted as entries for the 2015 Congressional Medal of Honor Student Art Exhibit held at the Tennessee Valley Fair.
Painted in black, white, and gray tones, the images reflect the black and white photographs of Westcott, the famed Manhattan Engineer District’s photographer. Although the pictures depict the somber time period of World War II, youthful energy and movement can be seen in the artwork.
Several pictures are recreations of signs and billboards that were posted in Oak Ridge during the 1940s, encouraging security and labor for victory in World War II. Some of the pieces have QR codes that allow a viewer equipped with a QR code scanner app on a smart phone to view a video of the students describing their artwork.
Please visit Oak Ridge Public Library during the month of September to view the historic paintings created by Oak Ridge’s youth.
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