As part of the Downtown Dayton Partnership’s (DDP) ongoing ArtWraps project, designs created by eight Meadowdale digital design students now adorn utility boxes in the city. They were installed over the summer and join a long list of artists that have their work displayed by the DDP.
“Our students are very creative and have a lot of talent, but I think the confidence was where they were lacking, and they needed to believe their work was good enough to be shown on that big of a platform,” Davis said.
Led by teacher Steven Morrison, every student within Meadowdale’s digital design pathway was allowed to compete. While ultimately eight were chosen, a total of 25 students from the school’s digital design program participated for the chance to have their work displayed publicly.
“I think Mr. Morrison did a really good job building up their confidence and skills to that level,” Davis said. “One thing about kids is that they all love competition, and it’s not just in athletics. Here at Meadowdale, anything that we can get our kids to compete, we will compete.”
The students chosen were Janaye Adams, Sha’ryah Gee, Alijah Howard, Diamond Jackson, Cerenity Jett, Qua’Drea Palmer, Trae Raye-Redmond and De’Kyra Warren.
“These are ways for us to pull out our kid’s potential. It’s one thing to tell them they have potential, and it’s another to show them what it looks like,” said Davis. “The community perception of Meadowdale tends to be negative because of the past. But what we are blessed to see now is not negativity. There are a lot of positive things going on, and to see our kids beautifying our city like they have our building, that’s huge.”
The participation of Meadowdale students represents the third wave of ArtWrap installations funded by the DDP. Laura Woeste, director of Strategic Projects at the DDP, said it was an exciting opportunity for participating students.
“The new edition focusing on high school students was really special to add to the mix. It is really great, and I think people enjoy seeing them, and the feedback we’ve gotten has been very positive,” Woeste said in a recent interview with the Dayton Daily News.
Meadowdale’s digital design class is following in the footsteps of artists such as Amy Deal and Dave Scott. While they are the first class of high school age students selected to participate, they are not the first to have a design chosen for an ArtWrap installation. Matilda Prizler, whose piece Beauty Inside can be seen on a utility box in front of Day Air Ballpark, was chosen back in 2023. She currently attends high school in Oakwood.
“I’ve been drawing and doing art related things ever since I was three or four, as soon as I could hold a pencil. What inspires me are things around me. I like to do portraits. Get the feel of people on a piece of paper,” Matilda Prizler said.
She was introduced to the ArtWraps program by a family friend, artist and professor, Brent Beck, and Matilda Prizler was encouraged to submit her work. Her submission, Beauty Inside, was one of 15 works installed as part of DDP’s 2023 wave of installations.
“It’s kind of surreal. Because that is one of the first actual places where my work has been in public for people to see,” Matilda Prizler said.
Her father, Cole Prizler, was happy to share just how proud he is with his daughter’s progress. With the Oakwood student set to go to college next year, he hopes she’ll be able to transform her talent into a long-lasting career.
“We knew she was drawing well, but it always amazes me when I see these things. I have things at work that are 10 years old that are still so much better than anything I can do. Every single time I see these pieces, I’m blown away with how good they are, with how she can be so different from me because I have no talent whatsoever when it comes to drawing well,” Cole Prizler said.
As for Matilda Prizler, like her fellow high-schoolers at Meadowdale, the ArtWrap installation is just one stop on what she hopes is a stellar career in the arts.
“I’m hoping to somehow incorporate (art) into a future career. But even if I don’t, I want to continue doing art on the side as a hobby because I think it’s important to have something besides your job that you enjoy doing that is separate from everything else,” Matilda Prizler said.
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