I’m not the first to say that quarantine gave students an unusual amount of free time. Many LM students took the opportunity to make up sleep, others baked excessively, and some took the time to pursue their passions for various forms of art. In that aspect, LM seniors excelled. After spending this long break delving into such interesting projects, they definitely deserve some recognition, so get excited to learn more about these talented artists!
Music can start things off. Leo Steinriede ’21, a talented guitarist, did a livestream during which he and a group of other musicians improvised along to the award-winning movie Parasite. When asked what motivated him to do something of this nature, Steinriede elaborated that “the idea to improvise to Parasite came because I hadn’t really played music with anyone in months and discovered during quarantine that I really love film. So I decided to combine my passion for improvised music with film, and improvise with the movie Parasite because it’s an explosive movie.” On a more serious note, Steinriede also composed a musical piece in memory of the late George Floyd. He explained that he “was so moved by the protests and felt so much despair for the country that [he] felt like [he] had to create something that would be a force for good.” However, he says that the piece is something he grapples with every day. “I still struggle with ‘Eulogy for George Floyd’ because as a white person, it’s my privilege to be able to make art about racism and not be affected by it everyday,” Steinriede says. “I don’t want ‘Eulogy for George Floyd’ to be virtue signaling or for people to think it absolves me from anti-racist work. To me, art is the opposite of evil and as an artist, I need to strive to make my art a reflection of what I want the world to be.” Samples of his music can be heard on Instagram and on his Facebook page under Leo Steinriede.
Moving on to textiles and sewing, the gifted Claire Sun ’21 started a donation-based business on Instagram, in which she would sew anything from handmade masks to stuffed animals based on the amount that a customer donated to a charity of their choice. “I got up every morning and saw so much stuff happening on Instagram and all of these links to petitions and protests,” Sun said. “I wanted to contribute in my own way, and I just happened to be going through a sewing phase so it worked out.” She ended up generating about $450 in donations to various charities, including the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Save the Children for Yemen.
Delving into the web of digital art, Claire Lu ’21 says that she has “always been doing art, and quarantine seemed like an opportunity to explore different styles since there was a lot of time spent in the house.” Lu stated that she “started looking at other artists’ work online more and was inspired by them, especially Skottie Young and Tillie Walden,” which motivated her to create more art. When asked about her preferred drawing styles, she continued to say that she enjoys “drawing in a bunch of styles, sometimes cartoon and sometimes more realistic, depending on the type of painting.” Her lovely work can be seen on Instagram.
Finally, when it comes to abstract line art and mandala-style designs, I’m your girl! I have been drawing intricate designs since childhood, inspired by my Indian culture. During quarantine, I was inspired to create more drawings and explore more styles of design due to the extra time I had. After seeing so many charities and petitions highlighted on social media and television, I grew motivated to give back to my community, so I started my own small business! I began selling my drawings on Instagram in July so that I could donate the net proceeds to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. It feels good to do something you truly enjoy for the purpose of helping others; it’s the best kind of win-win situation!
