RRMS students' artwork featured at Syracuse Hancock International Airport

Two students from Roxboro Road Middle School (RRMS), Ava Hardenburgh (7th grade) and Laila Perez (6th grade), will soon have their artwork on display at Syracuse Hancock International Airport for a full year. Their work is part of the SYR Community Art Program, where local artists’ creations are showcased for travelers.

The SYR Community Art Program, which launched in 2020, started as a way to connect the community through art and now features contributions from schools, libraries and other organizations. For three years, Onondaga County Public Libraries (OCPL) has been involved with the project. Various OCOL branches, including Salina Free Library, offer youth programs that encourage student involvement in the community project. 

Monica Norton, a Youth Services Librarian at  Salina Free Library, recently reached out to RRMS Art Teacher Timothy Howard about contributing to the exhibit and Mr. Howard offered it to his students as an extracurricular project. The airport provided canvases and students had a few weeks to complete their pieces.Mr. Howard guided the students through the process by helping them develop their ideas, work on their drawings and eventually, paint their canvases. 

He said, "This is a great accomplishment for these students. They put in a lot of effort, from brainstorming and sketching to painting on canvas. The final results were all their own, and I’m very proud of what they achieved."

Be sure to check out the students’ artwork if you’re traveling through Syracuse Hancock International Airport this holiday season. 

Learn more about the SYR Community Art Program on their website or the Salina Free Library’s Facebook page.