Student artwork adding beauty to downtown Oswego

There are plenty of reasons to look up while strolling through downtown Oswego.

For the second year in a row, the artwork of area students is displayed on banners as part of the Look Up Oswego banner program, an initiative of the Oswego Cultural Arts Commission.

On June 26, a public presentation was held to celebrate the public art program.

Evelyn Stark, 11, was happy to see her artwork hanging on a banner in front of 113 Main restaurant. The artwork features Miles “Tails” Prower from the Sonic the Hedghog franchise.

Tails is an anthropomorphic fox cub with two tails who serves as one of Sonic’s main sidekicks. His two tails allow him to fly.

“I like the character design,” she said. “I just love Tails.”

Stark is the daughter of Karen Kulzer, who is one of the founding members of the Oswego Cultural Arts Commission. Kulzer is also co-founder of Fox River Academy, a community music and art school in downtown Oswego.

Kulzer said the Look Up Oswego banner program is another way for students to display their art while adding beauty to the downtown.

“It’s just really exciting to see these kinds of things happening,” she said. “I’m just so thrilled to see the amount of variety in the work. There’s digital art, there’s fine art and there are photographs. There’s just a really nice array of pieces.”

Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman said the student artwork is a “vibrant reflection of the energy, the diversity and the imagination that make Oswego such a special place.”

“On behalf of the Village Board, I want to thank the Cultural Arts Commission for continuing to champion public art and for creating meaningful opportunities like this that engage our youth and brighten our public spaces,” Kauffman said. “And to the students, thank you for sharing your vision with us. Your work inspires, it beautifies our streets and it reminds us of the importance of the freedom of creative expression in our community.”

Cultural Arts Commission Chair Tony Pastore agreed.

“I stand before you to celebrate the incredible creativity and community spirit of the Look Up Oswego project,” he said. “I want to send a heartfelt thank you to the talented students and schools who participated in this initiative. Your imagination, passion and artistic vision have transformed this village into a canvas of inspiration. You remind us all to look up at the world as we journey through it.”

Following the presentation, Kauffman talked about how the Look Up Oswego banner program beautifies the downtown.

“It adds to the cultural aesthetic of our downtown,” he said. “And I love seeing the faces of the kids when they see their own artwork. They just light up and it is so fun to see that.”