Students, teachers and visitors gathered at the Sullivan West PK-12 Art Show on Friday May 30, showcasing a range of projects from sculptures and ceramics to paintings and photographs. 

The district’s art program is led by three dedicated teachers, Natalie Sauer, Jena Love, and Robin Nervegna. Together, they guide students through a creative process rooted in personal expression. Sauer said she is proud of her students.

“We’re completely a choice-based program,” said Love. “All the artwork is 100 percent the student’s vision — their idea. We just support them and figure out how to make it happen, even if we don’t necessarily know how ourselves.”

Among the standout displays were several Advanced Placement portfolios. One of them belonged to Michelle “Oakley” Adams-Thomas, a graduating senior whose work explores themes of identity and self-isolation.

“The person in the straight jacket represents self-isolation,” Adams-Thomas explained. “They’re not physically in the images — they’re more of a metaphor for a feeling that’s happening.”

One image depicts a student who outwardly presents as a masculine jock, but hides their progressive queer identity at home — a visual metaphor for the experience of living a dual life.

Adams-Thomas, who plans to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology for photography and related media, said their work is shifting toward movement, expression, and fashion. A 2023 mentorship with a New York Times photographer during a program at Fordham University helped shape their perspective.

“She taught me how to capture people in their element,” Adams-Thomas said. “I started with street photography — some of those pieces were taken in the city — and I’ve just been building from there.”