by Conlin W.
Congratulations to Azael D. (12) for his selection in the National K-12 ceramic Art awards for his "Great Galactic Gourd". Out of 1,169 entries from across the country only 150, less then 10%, were selected. This is a momentous achievement for Azael as his art will be shown on a national scale.
“I didn’t think I would win that award at all, I came home and showed my mom the certificate, I was real proud,” Azael D. commented. “Originally it was just 'Gourd' but my teacher added the galactic on the beginning to style up the name more.” Like Andy Warhol, the singular name Gourd doesn’t provide an explanation, instead the sculpture leaves itself open for interpretation and controversy.
When told one MRHS student said they didn’t understand the Gourd and what it meant,
artist Azael responded to the detractors criticism by saying “It’s a gourd, Bro.”
Admirer Cayden G. (12) said of the piece of art: “Gourd Master Azzy has once again made the world a great sculpture.” And Senior Jaedon P. added, “Yeah, that's my man right there. I love the Gourd, bro.”
Over all across the school most ratings of the piece of art were positive, almost all save a couple students admired the piece of art. Some thought it was funny, some believed it was intrinsically beautiful and others simply didn’t know what to think but were happy for the artist and for the school to be represented on a national level. Gourd creator Azael created his art for the purpose of sparking discussion, to provoke a reaction by the randomness of sculpting a gourd. But what is true art that doesn’t provoke a discussion?