High school art awards announced

Awards announced for regional high school art exhibition at EOU

March 9, 2015

LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) – Winners have been announced in the juried 2015 “Eastern Oregon Regional High School Art Exhibition” in Nightingale Gallery at Eastern Oregon University.

EOU’s art program presented awards for exemplary work done by students in grades nine through 12 who participated in the annual exhibition. Best of Show winners received an award certificate and a sketchbook. Honorable Mention recipients received a certificate of award.

Best of Show 12^th Grade: (tied)

Lindsay Kemp (Joseph Charter School) for her encaustic painting “Snowy Day”
Grace Ridder (La Grande High School) for her paintings “Caged”and“Cosmic Birdhouse Fish”

Best of Show 11^th Grade: 

Elly Wells (Union High School) for her acrylic painting “Inner Peace” 

Best of Show 10^th Grade:   

Edgar Esquivel (Vale High School) for his mixed media drawing “Transcending”

Best of Show 9^th Grade:

Ashten Wright (Union High School) for her acrylic painting “My Sister”

Honorable Mentions:

Cove Charter School

Megan Espinola, 12^th grade, for her photograph “Culling Day”

Enterprise High School

Madison Falk, 11^th grade, for her photograph “Escaping Fiction”

Joseph Charter School

Amanda Blessing, 11^th grade, for her mixed media sculpture “3 Foxes”
Addie Kilgore, 10^th grade, for her untitled mixed media sculpture

La Grande High School

Jessica Carter, 12^th grade, for her acrylic painting “The Surrender”
Elliott Jonasson, 12^th grade,for his pottery “Tea Set”
Sarah Rasmussen, 11^th grade,for her acrylic painting “Shelby” 

North Powder Charter School

Megan Hufford, 9^th grade, for her untitled acrylic painting

Union High School

Selena Giambitti, 10^th grade, for her acrylic painting “Skull”
Haley Macey, 11^th grade, for her mixed media work “Rudy”           

The La Grande Arts Commission also presented a special “Promising Young Artist” award to Grace Ridder of La Grande High School for her exhibited paintings “Caged”and “Cosmic Birdhouse Fish.” The award includes a certificate and check for $50.

“On behalf of EOU and Nightingale Gallery, congratulations to the winners and all the student participants,” said Cory Peeke, gallery director. “I would also like to congratulate the art teachers who on a daily basis go out of their way to help students create work of such a high caliber.”

Following is a list of participating teachers:

Baker City High School – Kristen Anderson
Burns High School – Ben Holtby
Cove Charter School – Eric Gustavson
Echo and Stanfield High Schools – Rick Thew
Enterprise High School – Dianne Pfel
Grant Union High School – J. J. Collier
Joseph Charter School – Jennifer Hawkins-Connolly
La Grande High School – Mike Schireman
North Powder Charter School – Jessie Street
Ontario High School – Pam Helfrich
Pendleton High School – Olivia Rush
Union High School – Jaime Gustavson
Vale High School – Kacie Shaffer

See the show at EOU through March 18 in the gallery located in Loso Hall at EOU. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more on the winning artists’ work see www.facebook.com/NightingaleGallery. Visit www.eou.edu/art for information on EOU’s art program.