16-year-old Jaklin Avatsatryan has been a part of the New Renaissance Fine Arts Studio in North Hollywood since she was eight years old. Avatsatryan, like most students at the studio, uses art as a stress reliever. “Art provides me with a way to express myself,” she said. “I feel at peace when I paint.”

With the annual art exhibition in place, art lovers in the area all gathered up on Dec. 3 to see the works of the studio members. Avatsaryan was one of the 80 students to participate. New Renaissance Fine Arts Studio has been holding its annual art show since 2003. Andranik Daibyan, New Renaissance’s owner and teacher, spent months preparing for this year’s show and said that he was pleased with the outcome. This year there were 240 artworks showcased, an auction and two performances.

“No child here is anything less than a great artist,” Daibyan said in his speech at the start of the show. “It’s only the experience that they lack; however, there is much more for them to gain through more years of training.”  He expressed his gratitude for each of his students and spoke highly about the importance of art.

Daibyan believes that every child has the potential to be something great, but only a few grasp the opportunity to do so. “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,” Daibyan said quoting one of his favorite artists, Pablo Picasso.

Avatsartyan, along with her fellow artists, takes pride in all her art pieces, and she said that she looks forward to the art shows. “The annual art show allows me to grow as an artist,” she said. “I get to hear criticism from families walking by, both good and bad. It always puts a smile on my face when someone compliments my work.”

Thirteen-year-old Suzy Sarkissian has wanted to be an artist for as long as she can remember. Sarkissian said that she finds her voice through art. “When it comes to art shows, I love being able to look at others people’s works and learn from the techniques,” Sarkissian said. “I’ve always been an observant person; therefore, I always manage to find something that I can learn from. It helps me grow as a person and as an artist.”

Areil Hovsepian, a Clark senior, said that he benefits from art in many ways. Whenever he’s stressed from school work, or he just needs a break from society, he turns to his sketch book. Hovsepian has had experience with media art; however, recently he took a liking to oil painting. Wanting to learn, Hovsepian came across the New Renaissance Fine Arts Studio. “This studio has taught me to do things that I never knew I was capable of doing. It has definitely made me a more versatile and well rounded artist,” Hovsepian said.

One of the guests, Kevork Meshefedjian, became emotional while talking about his younger brother and his love for art. “Armen has always been a quiet kid. He has a bad tendency of doubting his talent, and this, being his first ever art exhibition, has really helped him realize how talented he is,” Meshefedjian said. “Today a woman came up to him and offered to buy his painting, because she was so in love with it. Armen is so happy now. I haven’t seen him this happy for a while.”

According to USA Today, research has shown that art helps with improvements in “reading, verbal and math skills” and  “the ability to collaborate and higher-order thinking skills.” One parent, Anita Mirzaian, put her daughter in art when she was in second grade after she noticed her struggling in school. “Melissa was having a hard time with math, and it was actually during a parent teacher conference where her teacher recommended that I sign her up for classes to help boost her critical thinking skills,” Mrzaian said. “So I signed Melissa up, and not only is she now phenomenal in math, but she has also found her passion.”

Yeran Paronikyan, Clark’s new design teacher, also feels that art impacts her students’ overall GPAs. “It helps them with their creative thinking process, and it pushes them to think outside of the box,” she said. Paronikyan also believes that art exhibitions are extremely beneficial to young artists. “When they see their work on display for a wide audience they feel proud about what they’ve achieved,” she said.  

Along with the 240 displayed artworks, there were also a few performers. Wanting to appreciate all forms of art, Daibyan had a couple of his students sing and perform dances. Many of the guests enjoyed the entertainment and were pleased by the variety of talented students. Student Sarkissian was glad that Daibyan had chosen to include the performances. “It’s important to recognize all forms of art, and being a dancer and an artist myself, I love how I can enjoy both at one event,” she said.

Daibyan’s daughter, Sona Daibyan, has grown up with art and has learned lots of life lessons from her found passion. “Art has taught me discipline and has helped me expand my creativity,” Daibyan said. Watching her dad teach children for over 14 years, she has come to see the impact that art has on youth and people in general. “I’ve witnessed lots of character development amongst the students through the years,” she said. “Classes at the studio have helped so many kids develop motor skills and learn how to interact with others like them.”