Art 1.11 draws artists and spectators to Medina High School

Sarah Orvath painting a portrait of a woman from the 1940s

Sarah Osvath, a 2016 Medina High School alumna, painted a candid portrait of a woman from the 1940s during this year's Art 1.11 event at the high school. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)

MEDINA, Ohio -- Medina High School art teacher Bobbie Foy invented and began the annual Art 1.11 Show in 2014. Since then, the program has raised more than $10,000 in scholarship money through admission fees and an online auction of each year’s paintings. Fittingly, this year’s show was held on Jan. 11 -- 1/11/2020.

Foy said the purpose of the show is to give artists an opportunity to take part in a performance. Other students participate in sporting, theatrical or musical events; at Art 1.11, artists produce a painting in 111 minutes while spectators -- mostly family and friends -- look on.

Kat Foster with painting of flowers

Medina High School senior Kat Foster painted flowers, because her grandmother likes them. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)

This year, 47 artists -- students, alumni and staff -- stood behind easels placed on tables circling the high school cafeteria. Spectators paid $1.11 each to watch the artwork being created on 24-by-30-inch canvases.

A buzz of conversation and a steady stream of people slowly circling the room to check out the progress of the painters created a casual atmosphere.

Zach White painting a mountain scene

A current civil engineering student at The Ohio State University, Zach White has taken part in every Art 1.11 show since the beginning, in 2014. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)

Before the event, each participant turned in up to five sketches of their intended painting for approval by a committee. The total number of painters cannot exceed 50.

The final products are displayed in the high school for a year and then are auctioned off to raise scholarship money for art students.

Ryan Kofsky, an alumnus who is now studying fashion design and marketing at the University of Cincinnati, brought seven of his family members to encourage him. His Grandma McIntyre boasted, “He’s the greatest kid on Earth.” He was painting a scene with telephone poles and pine trees on a blue and red background.

Ryan Kofsky painting telephone poles against a vivid sky

Ryan Kofsky, an alumnus who is now studying fashion design and marketing at the University of Cincinnati, brought seven of his family members to encourage him. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)

Sarah Osvath, a 2016 Medina High alumna, just graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in health studies with a minor in painting. She’s heading to Ursuline College this week to begin earning her master’s degree in art therapy -- what she calls a perfect marriage of health care and art. A portrait artist, she painted a candid portrait of a woman from the 1940s.

Another alumnus, Zach White, a 2015 MHS graduate, was painting a mystical mountain. He said, “I like doing crazy stuff with color.” A current civil engineering student at The Ohio State University, he’s taken part in every Art 1.11 show since the beginning.

Kat Foster, a current senior at the high school, was painting flowers on a blue and yellow background. She is not in any art classes, because she spends much of her time on music, but she loves to paint. She chose to paint flowers because her grandmother likes them.

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