Regional high school artists recognized at EOU

 Awards announced for high school art exhibition at EOU

Feb. 27, 2018 LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon Regional High School Art Exhibition, featuring nearly 300 works by students from 15 regional high schools opened Feb. 23.

Nathan Lowe, Dean of EOU’s College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences welcomed gallery visitors with opening remarks, and awards were presented by Nightingale Gallery Director Cory Peeke. The EOU Art Department and Nightingale Gallery congratulate all award-winners and recognize the hardworking educators who make it all possible.

Awards were presented for exemplary work by students in grades nine through 12. All Best of Show winners received a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card and a sketchbook from the EOU art department, as well as a T-shirt, backpack and other EOU merchandise. Honorable Mention recipients received a certificate of award.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best of Show 12th Grade: Emily Carter (Baker City High) for her ceramic sculpture “Creature”

Best of Show 11th Grade: Skylar Fitzpatrick (Union High) for her block print “Union High”

Best of Show 10th Grade: Aubrey Sellick (Union High) for her acrylic painting “Self Portrait”

Best of Show 9th Grade: Gabriel Hawkins-Connolly (Joseph Charter School) for his painting “Take A Hike-Memories of Ice Lake in the Wallowas”

 

Honorable Mentions: Baker City

Hailey Bowling, 10th grade, for her ceramic piece “Words in the Dark”

Kaeli Diamond, 9th grade, for her ceramic sculpture “Harleyquin Demon”

Baylee Hatfield, 10th grade, for her ceramic piece “Pozzum”

Sataporn (Beam) Potharam, 11th grade, for her ceramic piece “Yak”

 

Honorable Mentions: Echo

Akiva Barzee, 11th grade, for his photograph “Umatilla River, Pendleton Oregon”

Braden MacPherson, 11th grade, for his photograph “Marti #2”

Garrett Wiggins, 11th grade, for his photograph “La Luz”

 

Honorable Mentions: Grant Union

Eli Sheedy, 10th grade, for his ceramic piece “Birdhouse Tower”

Savannah Wyllie, 12th grade, for her watercolor and marker piece “Life”

 

Honorable Mentions: Joseph

Tori Suto, 11th grade, for her ceramic piece “Uplifted”

Ally Wearin, 12th grade, for her graphite drawing “Locked In”

 

Honorable Mentions: La Grande

Aryana Bouten, 10th grade (home school), for her mixed media piece “Back Stroke”

Alexandra Brock, 10th grade, for her acrylic painting “Duke”

Owen Kreutz, 11th grade, for his graphite drawing “Star Wars, The Death Trooper”

Felicity Houston, 10th grade, for her acrylic painting “Oblivious”

Garrett Street, 9th grade, for his graphite drawing “Pray, After Durer”

 

Honorable Mentions: Powder Valley

Brooke Allen, 9th grade, for her untitled acrylic on Masonite painting

 

Honorable Mentions: Union

Kevin Kellar, 11th grade, for his acrylic painting “Self Portrait #7”

Adam Lewis, 9th grade, for his painting “Spontaneous Self Portrait” and his graphite

drawing “Rush Skeleton Weed”

James McMahan, 12th grade, for his acrylic painting “Old and New”

Rosalyn Morton, 11th grade, for her reduction print “1977 VW”

 

For the 10th consecutive year, the La Grande Arts Commission presented a “La Grande High School Creative Artist Award.” Sarah Freels earned this year’s award and the accompanying $100 check. Freels’ oil painting “Midnight Madness”was selected by local artist and La Grande Arts Commissioner Jeremy Clark who presented the award alongside Commission Chairperson Evna Stacey.

Three regional art centers joined the La Grande Arts Commission in presenting special awards. Union County’s Art Center East presented a “Union County’s Best Young Artist” award to John Gembala of Union High for his silkscreen print “Log Cabin Valley.” The award comes with a $50 gift certificate for ACE programs. ACE Executive Director Mika Morton selected and presented the award.

Baker County’s Crossroads Carnegie Art Center awarded two $50 awards. Their “Baker High School Aspiring Young Artist” award went to Kailyn McQuisten for her ceramic work “Ocean” and Crossroads’ “Baker County Aspiring Young Artist” award went to Shayla Winton of Burnt River High School for her graphite drawing “Kurrie Eyes.” Ceramic artist and former La Grande High art teacher Bob Jensen selected the winners, while artist and Crossroads board member Megan McGuinness presented the awards.

Pendleton Center for the Arts, in conjunction with Pendleton Art & Frame and the Blue Mountain Community College Foundation, presented a $150 “Best of the Blues” award to Garrett Wiggins for his photograph “The Perfect Street.”  EOU Art professor Susan Murrell selected the recipients and Cory Peeke presented the award on behalf of PCA’s Coordinator of Education and Outreach, Kaisa Hill, who couldn’t attend due to weather.

“On behalf of the EOU Art Department and the Nightingale Gallery I would like to congratulate the winners and all the student participants,” Peeke said. “I would also like to congratulate the art teachers who go out of their way to help students createworks of such a high caliber.”

Partner teachers include: Kristen Anderson and Jill Nelson from Baker City High School, Ben Holtby of Burns High School, Laurie Hueckman of Burnt River High School, Connie Robbins of Crane Union High School, Emma Hubbard and Rick Thew of Echo High School, Dianne Pfel of Enterprise and Wallowa High Schools, J.J. Collier of Grant Union High School, Jennifer Hawkins-Connolly of Joseph Charter School, Mike Schireman of La Grande High School, Amanda Welch of La Grande Home School, Alice Thomas of Pendleton High School, Jessie Street of Powder Valley High School, Emily Kokesh of Prairie City High School and Jaime Gustavson of Union High School.

The 2018 Eastern Oregon Regional High School Exhibition runs through March 21. The Nightingale Gallery is located in Loso Hall on the campus of Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, OR. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

To request images of artwork for publication please contact Gallery Director Cory Peeke at cpeeke@eou.edu.