Cardinal O' Hara High School newsletter
A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by my Alma mater Cardinal O'Hara High School for the monthly alumni newsletter. Thank you to fellow alumni Mr. Dave Lovering 74' for the opportunity. You can read the write up below.
Jalen Law, Cardinal O’Hara Class of 2010, was not your typical two year-old.
He loved to draw. Now, it’s not unusual for a two year old to love to draw. But while most toddlers may lose interest in drawing after a couple of minutes, Jalen drew “… all the time - starting with circles,” by his own account. By his fifth birthday, he was creating ”children’s books” and comic books containing stories of his family. “I sold the books and comic books in school for Lunchables and extra-time on the classroom computer,” Jalen recalled. He was an artist and entrepreneur at the age of five!
His family, particularly his grandfather, James A. Law, recognized that Jalen was a precocious artist who had ability beyond his years. At his grandfather’s insistence, his family made sure that Jalen was provided paper and pencils and other tools to nurture his talent and further his interest in creating art. Some twenty-five years later, after developing and fine-tuning his craft, Jalen’s childhood interest in art turned into a career as an artist.
Buffalo-born and raised, Jalen attended public school in the city. His older brother, James A. Law IV, attended private schools, including Cardinal O’Hara High School. (James is a member of the COHS Class of 1998 and is an inductee in our Athletics Hall of Fame.) When it came time for Jalen to make a decision as to where he would attend high school, he remembers a phone call he received from his brother, James. Jalen recalls James saying, “You are going to Cardinal O’Hara.”
Based upon his brother’s “recommendation”, Jalen attended O’Hara for his high school career. He was grateful for the opportunity. “O’Hara gave me a lot more than I would have received elsewhere,” he stated. “My art teacher, Ms. Helene Herby, literally designed an art curriculum just for me. She created an advanced program in which I was the only student. I received advanced credit as well. I don’t know that this would have happened anywhere else.” Jalen described Ms. Herby as someone who had a significant impact on his growth as an artist. “I became much more insightful as an artist during my time at O’Hara,” noted Jalen. “This helped me become a better problem solver as an artist and as a person”.
His artistic ability was not the only thing that made Jalen stand out. An accomplished sprinter, Jalen also made his mark at O’Hara on the track team. “My event was the 200 meter sprint,” Jalen noted. It certainly was “his” event! Jalen was recognized as one of the finest sprinters in New York State. Twice he qualified for the New York State finals in the 200 meters. He also finished in 3rd place at the Catholic High School Athletic Association Intersectionals in the 100 meter race.
He continued to excel in the 200 meter event post high school. At Buffalo State he was named an All-American in NCAA Division III in 200m and 4x100m relay team. He was a member of the All-Conference Team twice and was the Conference Champion one year. At the University of Buffalo, Jalen received the MAC (Mid-American Conference) Student-Athlete Honor Roll Award. He continues to compete as a sprinter today. He had hoped to qualify for the United States track team by impressing in preliminary races that are held prior to every Summer Olympics competition. “The coronavirus pandemic changed all that,” Jalen said.
Jalen’s preferred medium for his artwork is canvas. In general, the theme of his art is to present visually powerful images that evoke the viewer to think about uncomfortable issues without deflecting their own feelings. “I consider my role as an artist to document what is and what could be. I challenge my viewers to consider and re-consider their perspective on things. One of my favorite philosophers, Jiddu Krishnamurti, once said, ‘It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.’ During this time of uncertainty and unrest, we must look not only at systemic issues but we must look at our own contributions to that system as well. As an alumni of Cardinal O’Hara, I think it is a pivotal time to practice the Franciscan values of charity, faith and selflessness to help those in need and actively transform the societal paradigm,” Jalen explained. “I believe that it is my responsibility as an artist to see things the way they are and present a vision of the way things could be. I challenge those who view my art to do the same.”
Jalen, along with 11 other artists, was recently commissioned to paint a mural for the “Thank You Essential Workers Initiative” in Buffalo. The project was supported by Mayor Brown’s office and The Beau Fleuve (a local organization that supports local artists). The murals, painted throughout the city were created to express the gratitude of the Western New York community to those people who are on the “front lines” of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. “Artists chosen for this project were given the opportunity to select the essential workers that they wanted to recognize,” Jalen explained. “I decided to depict doctors, nurses, and medical students in my mural. Several members of my family work in that field. The subjects in this mural were inspired by photos of health care workers that I saw on Google and other outlets,” Jaden explained. The 5’ x 10’ mural can be seen on the outside wall of the parking garage next to Buffalo General at the corner of Michigan Avenue and High Street in Buffalo. (The mural faces Michigan Avenue.)
Besides painting and cultivating his own artistic expression, Jalen is involved in several other projects related to art. One ongoing project is his collaborative effort with the Buffalo Public Schools on emotional intelligence.
He became interested in the study of emotional intelligence when he took elective courses in psychology at the University of Buffalo. Driven to learn more about emotional intelligence, Jalen went right to the top. He contacted one of the pioneers in the field, Dr. Peter Salovey, in an effort to learn more. Dr. Salovey who had recently been named President of Yale University, promptly responded to Jalen’s email and provided him with his research on the topic. Based on his interpretation of Dr. Salovey’s research, Jalen created an art program for students in the Buffalo Public Schools to help students develop better decision-making skills by enhancing their emotional intelligence. He will resume providing this program to students in the BPS when schools resume in the fall. He also has a contract with the Buffalo Urban League to facilitate growth in emotional intelligence for young men and women affiliated with the Urban League. He is negotiating with an organization in Minnesota to expand his work to Minneapolis. Currently, he is in the process of studying data to measure the effect of the program on students. Based on his findings he will adjust the efficacy of the program.
This summer, Jalen will be conducting a summer camp class for Cardinal O’Hara. The class will be on-line as the school will still be closed to student activity. “I’m excited to work with the students this summer,” Jalen noted. “I am offering a course on creating murals. Each student will be responsible for a section of a large mural. We will combine the sections at the end of the course.” For further information click on this link: https://www.cardinalohara.com/admissions/summer-camps/
Jalen’s art has been on display at various shows and exhibits including: The Art of Hip Hop Festival and the Urban Art Gallery. To see examples of his work, visit Jalen’s online gallery or go to his site on Facebook. His art is also featured in Saatchi Art, an international gallery.
