FROM  ONU DEPT. OF ART AND DESIGN FACEBOOK - Art can be a transformative experience and communicate important social issues in our communities. For Ohio Northern University art education alumna, Katelyn Amendolara (BFA/art education ’11), art can tackle “the number one issue within our state and nation: the heroin epidemic.”

Katelyn is currently an art teacher at the Jackson-Milton high school located in North Jackson, Ohio. Her students recently finished several community service projects, including "Paint-a-Plow" contest sponsored by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Her students could have chosen anything to paint on their snow-plow. The mural shows the grip this epidemic really has on the state, the effects, as well as the alternative.

"On the left side, it shows a darker path. It has the heart line that begins and then it flatlines out onto the right side," said Amendolara. "It shows the state going up in smoke."

The result is a work of art, as well as a conversation piece. Students learned some of the statistics from this epidemic while they painted, walking away with far more than a simple art project.

The snow plow will be on display this summer at the Canfield Fair and will be judged this August at Kent State University. The winner from the regional round will move on to the state level in Columbus.

After a winner is crowned, the snow plow will be put into service this winter, a plow with a purpose.