Green Hope students demonstrated their artistic talent at the state Junior Women’s Club of Raleigh art competition.
Three students won awards for their creations, among them: Marie Park (‘25), HE Hamilton (‘24) and Genevieve Garofalo. The artists won for fabric craft; basic and creative stitchery; and pen and ink, respectively.
“I am so excited and pleased about this result. I never expected to win the first place,” said Park. She also contributed her success to one of Green Hope’s art teachers, Ms. Melissa Poppe. “Ms. Poppe put my work in that good competition. I am so grateful to her.”
This class was the first time I actually tried [felting] so [it] was a little unfamiliar at first.
— Marie Park ('25)
Although success is certainly worth celebrating, for some, it also came with challenges.
One winner, Park, described how her submission began as the final project for an art class she was taking — and it was her first time ever creating something in such a medium. “This fabric craft was one of the art class projects at school, and was the final project of the semester with felting,” she said.
Her inspiration came from a fond memory of purchasing pastries with her family, wanting to represent the diversity of tastes that her family members held. “A food craft was an overall theme in my class. I got an inspiration when I visited a cupcake shop during my family trip. I found that many cupcakes usually consisted of one single layer with cream. Each of my family members chose a different flavor of cupcakes there. Then, I thought that it would be nice if it contained all the mixed flavors which my family needs. Therefore, I made a multi-layered cupcake to decorate each flavor with a variety of elements.”
After struggling for a period of time, Park found confidence in her felting skills by finding resources online. She was able to finish the project with additional tutorials from Ms. Poppe at school.
“Felting was a very new material to me and this class was the first time I actually tried it so was a little unfamiliar at the first time,” she said. “One thing which was a challenge is that it was hard to bundle the cotton into a firm and exact shape in the beginning. However, when I hold the cotton tightly and continue to poke the needle until the desired shape is achieved, it hardens and takes shape. I watched some videos about felting and searched for tips on its techniques. When I was in class, Ms. Poppe’s demonstration and advice helped me to overcome those difficulties.”
As Green Hope artists continue their endeavors, they continue to confront and adapt to unfamiliar creative challenges.
I am so excited and pleased about this result. I never expected to win the first place.
— Marie Park ('25)
