Hempfield Area student's art exhibit focuses on family, culture

When Hempfield Area senior Emily Flores’ grandmother died in 2022, she wanted to find a way to honor her memory.

“(Her death) really dug deep into my heart,” said Flores, 18. “I really thought about my childhood with her, and about my culture, and I wanted to take her with me along my journey in art, along with my high school career and hopefully later on in life, for her to be there for the things that she will miss.”

Flores focused on her memories of time with her grandmother, along with other family members and Mexican American cultural traditions, as inspiration in creating a portfolio of oil paintings through her independent study art classes.

Her colorful and personal paintings will be in the spotlight at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, as Flores becomes the first high school student to exhibit art through the “Picture This at the Library” joint program with the Greensburg Art Center.

The art went up in the library Tuesday , and will remain until June 3, with an open reception for the exhibit, titled “Mi Vida,” from 5 to 7 p.m. May 24.

“We at the Greensburg Art Center as well as the library are very happy to celebrate her art,” said Rosemary Sovyak, president of the Greensburg Art Center who serves as a library liaison. “I was so, so excited about being able to involve a young artist.”

Flores said she was “thankful and grateful” for the opportunity to share her work.

“As a young artist, for me, I had the expectation that I would never be able to put out my art this early in life,” she said. “I was able to have this experience, this chance, at a young age with the help and care from my family and my teachers from Hempfield art. I think I wouldn’t have been able to get here on my own.”

Family inspired creativity

Flores often incorporates her family members and herself into her art pieces. For some of the paintings, like a piece depicting her grandmother and sister which she gifted to her sister, it’s a way to give her loved ones a tangible memory, she said.

“Those are moments I want to give as well to my family and give them happiness through those memories,” she said, describing herself as family oriented.

Flores’ parents are from Mexico, and her grandmother lived in Houston. She draws ideas for her artwork from her cultural background.

“I had the idea to make my culture come alive, in a sense,” she said. “I’m slowly but surely adding all of my family members into my paintings, so that at some point I, or they, have a memory of, ‘Oh, my daughter painted me.’ I wanted to showcase my family as well. They are also part of my art journey and my life.”

Art spotlight program

Picture This at the Library started in 2011 or 2012, according to Sovyak, as a collaboration between the Greensburg Art Center and the library.

“The library kind of contacted us, and I have some mutual friends, and we said, what can we do to brighten up the library, what can we do to promote community involvement?” Sovyak said. “I love when two different community endeavors come together.”

Emily Daignault, Flores’ art teacher at the high school, connected with the program to help set up the exhibit. Students in the independent study program are required to do some sort of solo show, she said.

“Most students have chosen to have their solo exhibition in the school, but Emily, knowing that she had taken the course twice, wanted to try and get her work out in the community,” Daignault said.

“When I approached Rose, she was super supportive. I had shared some of Emily’s work and her passion, and Rose was really excited to help give her this opportunity.”

Daignault is proud to have seen Flores develop as an artist during her time in the school’s art program.

“It’s so rewarding as a teacher to see that growth and see her find her passion. It’s just rewarding on so many levels,” she said.