Walking through the halls of Oakville, there is plenty of evidence to show the many talented art students. From the murals on the walls to the pottery in display cases, there is nearly always something to keep students interested on their journeys to class.
Having your art displayed can be a huge accomplishment for professional artists, and even for teachers. Oakville art teacher Amela Cikota has had the opportunity to display her artistic creations throughout St. Louis and even other parts of the world including Milan and London.
“Right now I am going to have my art displayed at Soulard Art Gallery. I just became a resident artist there, so I’ll have my own little gallery inside of the gallery…” Cikota said.
Becoming a resident artist is a great chance for artists to express themselves because it allows them to create a space personalized for their art. It also gives them an even greater chance of their pieces being recognized and sold.
“…It’s less likely that someone across the world is going to buy an artwork from them than someone right here…” Cikota said. “The more you have on display, the more people will see it, and then the more likely you will make a sale.”
Many pieces Cikota creates have an abstract element to them, often being inspired from nature. She also incorporates unexpected items and uses them in an artistic way to create a meaningful message behind a visually pleasing canvas.
“…The computer punch tape like back in the day was used to save programs on it pre-floppy disks and hard drives, but now that’s not being used anymore so I just recycle it into my own art,” Cikota said.
Cikota has many responsibilities since accepting a residency with Soulard Art Gallery including producing and selling art, decorating her gallery, paying rent and more. Regularly, she is expected to be there at least once a week but is currently spending a lot of time preparing for her opening in January.
“…My first official month at the gallery is actually January, but they’re just giving me this time to set up, but yeah, it’s hard to do it full-time because I already have a full-time job, so I plan to do it every Saturday and Sunday…” Cikota said.
Cikota teachers the OHS ceramics and 3-D art classes. One of her favorite styles to teach is impressionism, which can be seen in some of her pieces. Cikota has been balancing teaching and her personal art goals for years, but is currently taking much more on with becoming a resident.
“…Since I got the residency at the gallery, I’ve been doing that every single day afterwards, but I don’t think I can continue doing that,” Cikota said. “It’s exhausting, so I do it every weekend and on days that I don’t have a lot going on after work…”
Cikota encourages students as well as St. Louis residents to check out her art in January. The gallery is open Thursday-Sunday (hours differ) and showcases not only the current residential artists, but also some of the public’s artwork depending on the theme of the month.
“…This month’s theme show is photography, so anyone in Saint Louis that has any photographs or does photography can submit one to three works and it’s only $30 if you get accepted, and then you’ll get your art displayed for the whole month…” Cikota said.
Pursuing art can take a lot of dedication, even if it’s just a hobby, and Cikota feels that her devotion to art in her work and personal life can help motivate others to express themselves artistically.
“…I think it’s amazing and I think the second you get a chance to display your art you should…” Cikota said. “I mean there is the time commitment, but honestly, it’s something that I love doing, so I don’t see it as a time commitment. It’s kind of like I can’t wait to do it. So yeah, it’s really fun.”
