(left to right) Benicia High School students Carli Kachuck, Justin Gallardo, Samantha Williams, scultpor – Scott Zoog, Elisa Garcia, Emily Wade and teacher Christine Chu pose with the Light Harp. Photo by Kevin Denton

(This article originally appeared in the Feb. 5 print edition of the Herald)

BENICIA – Who doesn’t love a challenge? The Little Art Shop, one of Benicia’s premium art galleries on First Street, recently put forth a challenge to five Benicia High School students – create a work of art inspired by Scott Zoog’s sculpture, The Light Harp.

In 2017 a collaborative effort for Public Art began between Joe Lopez, owner of the Tannery Building and Rejina Christopher, owner of The Little Art Shop inside the Tannery Building. Together they commissioned Zoog to create a beautiful steel and glass piece which was installed in Dec. of 2018 behind the Tannery Building on the Carquinez Waterfront. Viewers have varied interpretations of the flowing lines of Zoog’s sculpture and declared it a pelican, fish, angel, butterfly or gymnast.

This thought provoking sculpture was the inspiration for five works by select Benicia High School art students, Carli Kachuck, Justin Gallardo, Samantha Williams, Elisa Garcia and Emily Wade, lead by their art teacher Christine Chu.

“I’ve been working with these five talented young artists as their instructor at Benicia High School and I can’t tell you how impressed and proud I am with how these young artists handled the challenging concept of incorporating the aspect of Scott Zoog’s ‘Light Harp’ sculpture into their own art work,” said Chu. “Some decided to interpret it in a more literal sense. Others felt that they wanted to convey it’s formal elements in more of an abstract manner. The body of work as a whole was unified, yet each art piece was independently strong.”

This past Saturday, Feb. 1, during the Wine and Chocolate Walk in Benicia, The Little Art Shop displayed the student artworks for the first time during their silent auction to benefit the Benicia High School art students.

“As I conversed with each student artist about their creative process for the challenge, it was apparent how inspiring this opportunity had become for them,” said Chu. “Each expressed such appreciation for being able to be a part of something as big as this, so young within our local art community. I am personally grateful to be both a guide and mentor for these young artists as well as an art collaborator with Rejina Christopher and Bobbie Jo Richardson at the Little Art Shop. What a most valuable and rewarding experience to be a part of.”

The five students talked extensively with the Light Harp creator, Scott Zoog who described his process of creation and encouraged them to pursue their creative dreams. Elisa Garcia’s piece was proclaimed the winner of the challenge with her sculpture piece “Swordfish Ballerina” which was an assemblage and echoed the shape of the Light Harp in a unique way.  Each student received a gift certificate as a thank you for accepting the challenge and creating artwork for this event. Two of the student’s artworks have already sold and the remaining three will be on display throughout the month of Feb. at The Little Art Shop, located at 129 First Street Suite E.

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