COLORS ON PARADE
SAAC announces student art winners; 13 local students receive cash prizes
The South Arkansas Arts Center announced the winners of their annual Student Art Competition last week in a virtual ceremony live-streamed on its Facebook page.
Artist and educator Gay Bechtelheimer judged the competition. She said she judged the artwork based on the creativity and out-of-the-box thinking displayed.
“As I selected the particular pieces for recognition, I did so in the context of the thinking skills that were used: How did the artwork go beyond the instructor’s assignment? Rather than being a literal translation of the instructor’s assignment, did it reveal innovation, resourcefulness and/or imagination? Did it build on observations from past experiences? Perhaps the abstract thinking of emotion or personality was expressed,” she said. “Was there humor or unpredictability? Did I see the joy of creating something personally fulfilling using a pencil, paints, clay or a marker?”
Best in Show was awarded to Kailani Oliver for their work, “Playground.” Other winners included:
Grades 10-12 division:
First place - Jadon Cunningham for “Sunset Drops” Second place - Ella Langridge for “Home”
Third place - Lorelai Orr for “The Lion and the Lamb”
Grades 7-9 division:
First place - Jill Stone for “Paris”
Second place - Trinity Thomas for “Waterfall” Third place - Heather Drummond for “Old Car”
Grades 3-6 division:
First place - MaKayla Kesee for “Picnic” Second place - Harper Allen for “Lily Pad” Third place - Mason Hopper for “Flying Saucers”
Grades K-2 division:
First place - Jeremiah Lee for “Tortuga” Second place - William Dunn for “Cars” Third place - Karsyn Curtis for “Van Gogh Inspires”
Honorable mentions:
Taylor Grace Stone for “Color Dash” Cami Doherty for “Spell on Daddy” Faith Gilmore for “River of Color” Elise Ford for “Self Portrait” Prizes awarded included $100 for Best of Show; $50 for all first place winners; $25 for all second place winners; and $15 for all third place winners. The competition was sponsored by William P. Cook & Associates, PLLC. The Student Art Show will continue to hang in SAAC’s Merkle Gallery through March 12. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit facebook.com/southarkansasartscenter or saac-arts.org to watch the awards presentation.