LM Artists Earn Metro Honors

The artwork of two Linn-Mar students will be featured in a display at two upcoming events. Alyssa Newport and Raelyn FitzGerald received an honorable mention in the Corridor Jazz Art Contest. Their pieces will be on display at The Corridor Jazz Concerts, on March 4 at the Paramount, and on March 5 at Voxman Hall of Music in Iowa City. “Our jazz bands have been part of this project for some time”, said Art teacher John Genskow, ”This is the first time we have had art students participate in this local contest.”

The students shared the inspiration for their works. “I put a lot of thought into how I was going to show the love of jazz and music in general. I really wanted people to be able to see the movement of music within the piece. The man in my artwork was actually inspired by my grandpa who had passed away in March of 2023. He loved music and also played the saxophone so I made the piece as a tribute to him, and winning an honorable mention makes me feel like his love for music is still alive.” said Newport.   FitzGerald’s work was inspired by history, “I wanted to create the ambiance of a jazz club or speakeasy from the 1920s. I thought it turned out well, but I was super surprised to find out I was a finalist.” 

The Corridor Jazz Project has been called “the crown jewel of jazz education in Iowa” by the Iowa Bandmasters Association. Linn-Mar’s Colton Center Jazz Ensemble will perform at 7:50 p.m. They will be among 10 schools from the metro area performing on the historic Paramount stage on March 4th.