BROOKINGS Award-winning art will be showcased May 19 when students present the annual Kaffee Klatch art show from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the auxiliary gym of Brookings High School, 530 Elm Ave.
The art team from BHS achieved third place at this years State Visual Arts Competition, with several students attaining individual awards.
Theres 12 categories, and you can have students create a piece of artwork in each category, Aubrey Vanderbush, high school arts teacher, said. Then as long as you have (someone competing) in each category, the points all get added up, and then youre awarded a team award as well. So we just try to fill all of those spots, bring student artwork to a gallery, it all gets judged and finally theres a whole awards ceremony.
In visual arts, BHS competes at the Class AA level.
We had a couple kids who placed in their categories. Julianna Converse got first place in the printmaking category and the color drawing category. Then she was also awarded best in show which means in class AA she had the highest points of every piece that was there, Vanderbush said. Miriam Koch got third place in mixed media. John Hatton got third place in monochromatic drawing. Based on points, we did get a couple fourth and fifth place awards out of the 13 schools participating in class AA.
Brookings students also achieved recognition at a statewide event called Art Wars
In Art Wars, (judges) give students a prompt, and then students have an hour and a half to complete the work. Then (judges evaluate) the work, and the top three in each category go on to do the same thing during the state art competition, Vanderbush said. For the visual arts competition, these students are spending months at least some of them working on their pieces. Whereas Art Wars is very off-the-cuff. They show up, they get their prompt and then have to think through and create their art in just an hour and half.
Brookings students John Hatton and Sterling Palmer both qualified for the state level of Art Wars this year. Palmer brought home third place in the photography category.
Vanderbush said art students deserve the same recognition thats afforded to students in other extracurriculars.
These students who work so hard on their artwork are being given an opportunity to have the same feeling the basketball team would have playing in the state championships, she said. They get to show off their talent in the same way that a sport would. Its for their own self and just showing that they can do it. I think its making people aware that there is a space for something like this. Art is something thats around us all the time. Its like here it is, and look at the amazing things our youth are doing and the potential they have. I just really love giving students that opportunity to feel proud of something theyve done.
Artwork from all the Brookings students will be on display at Kaffee Klatch. Admission is free. The school art club will sell student-made planters with plants grown by FFA students. Prints and cards made by the students will also be sold. The proceeds all support the BHS art club.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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