Even though she knew nothing about what a KC heart was, senior Devika Krishna submitted a design to get selected to make one. She saw the call for artists with only one week left to create a design. Devika, about a month and a half later, found out she had been selected.
“I found out on TV. They called me, and [said], ‘Hey, what’s up? Are you free [on] a Thursday afternoon in October?’ And I said, ‘I can [go].’ So, I went to this place, and it was KCTV 5, KMBC and then they [asked us about our] hearts,” Devika said. “But I knew, because, ‘why’d you call me for TV if I’m not selected?’ So then, they had a whole segment where they [told us we got] selected.”
Devika had to transport a 6.5-foot-tall heart to her house and find somewhere to work on it. Devika’s mom, Preethy Krishna, said she was worried about how it would work for her.
“We initially didn’t know how to get it to our garage. We don’t have a truck. And then she got some help from her friend’s dad, and we were able to go and get it,” Preethy said. “We knew that we couldn’t get it inside the house, and we kept it in the garage, [but it was] winter months, so we were a bit worried whether she’d be able to paint during these winter days. But we got some space heaters, and she wore coats.”
All of the KC heart artists have to tie their hearts back to Kansas City. Devika said she gained inspiration for her heart from a field trip she took during AP Art to the Overland Park Arboretum.
“My entire design is based off of the water lilies, which is a series of works by Claude Monet. The KC hearts are regionally tied to Kansas City, and I grew up in Overland Park where I became interested in art. The Nelson-Atkins owns one of the water lily series. We live near the Arboretum, and I’ve been there since I was a kid, and they have the Claude Monet Gardens,” Devika said. “[My heart is] a mixture of historically Claude Monet Impressionism, but also of the Kansas City region and how we represent and inspire artists. I also use the original palette of Claude Monet. I have a graphic aspect and the impression aspect. It combines modern and historical art.”
Devika has taken many art classes, including ones at the school from art teacher Emily Patterson. Patterson said she was very proud of Devika when she found out she was selected to make a KC heart.
“She takes a lot more risks; she’s not scared to mess up. She very often gets frustrated, [but] you [would not] be able to tell she’s frustrated,” Patterson said. “She’s just really good at trying new media, taking risks, seeing if things are going to work, that may not, and it’s OK because it’s all part of the artistic process.”
Devika said this experience has been a very big stepping stone for her art career. Devika tried to take a risk by adding a sculptural element to her heart, but it did not work out.
“She had a plan for building a bridge in the middle of the heart. That didn’t work out, but for that, she did a lot of research. I was so proud that she had the confidence to explore these things,” Preethy said. “We needed to deliver it the next day. That night, I got up hearing some sound, and she was continuing to try out new things. I know it was a bit of a stressful situation because she realized that it’s not possible to make [the bridge] a reality. We talked about [communicating] it to [the KC heart team] that this didn’t work out. There is a lot of success plus failure, and there is a lot of learning.”
Devika presented her heart on April 4 at the KC hearts exhibition, which was recently placed at Zona Rosa until September. Devika said this will help her future career going into college as an art student.
“I would say she lives, eats [and] breathes art. I don’t think she sleeps. I don’t know how she does it all. She doesn’t question herself. She just does it,” Patterson said. “I think a lot of artists just sit around waiting for lightning to strike, and she’ll just go for it and do it.”
AP Art Seniors
Sophia Sponseller:
Throughout her whole life, senior Sophia Sponseller has made art. Sponseller said she really enjoyed graphic design and considers herself a digital artist, which inspired her to take AP Art. Sponseller’s inspiration for her portfolio is based on her friendships and how she can show her friends in a superhero environment to show how she perceives them in real life.
“It’s a form of self-expression, for the most part. In a world where I am mostly just an athlete, it shows another part of myself,” Sponseller said. “That’s what I really feel. A lot of the time, I’m seen as almost too athletic to be artistic or too artistic to be athletic. So, it’s an interesting way of self-expression.”
Arden Harms:
Ever since she could hold a pencil, senior Arden Harms has made art. For AP Art, Harms chose her theme for her portfolio about her negative emotions and how she can see the beauty in them through nature. Harms based her pieces on one specific emotion she felt. Harms said she looks around in nature to get inspiration for her art.
“I chose that [because] with my negative emotions I feel like I don’t feel them a lot. So, I wanted to try to explore them, and when I do feel them, I don’t really like it,” Harms said. “So, I wanted to see if I could bring some positivity through that by depicting it through a subject matter that I like.”
Annika Beringer:
Senior Annika Beringer has been interested in AP Art since she heard about it her sophomore year. Beringer said the theme for her portfolio is how music is subjective to the listener and their personal life experiences and how she can illustrate that through animal symbolism and characterization. She based her pieces on her own relationships throughout life, from when she was younger till now.
“I think it’s one of the most human things that we do. I mean, you find other creatures out there building cool houses out of sticks and flowers,” Beringer said. “But I feel like, for humans, we’ve just developed so much in the realm of art and in terms of media and surfaces, you can make anything with it. So, I think it’s really special.”
