This spring, 56 Conestoga art students submitted paintings, drawings, ceramics, collages, mixed media pieces and digital art to the 51st annual Chester County High School Art Exhibition. The Chester County Intermediate Unit hosted the event at the Chester County Art Association in West Chester from April 9-22, displaying works from 20 schools across Chester and Berks Counties and from homeschooled students.
Committees of professional artists and artisans assessed the student entries and granted awards for each category, and artworks were also considered in Rep. Chrissy Houlahan’s Congressional Art Competition. Members of the public had the option to offer to purchase
artworks, though students could choose to keep their pieces.
At the reception for the exhibition on April 10, four Conestoga entrants received awards for their art. Senior Ethan Barker won third place in the collage category for his artwork “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” made from layered paper and mixed media clippings. Senior Anya Walheim received an honorable mention in ceramics for “Beneath the Blue,” which features blue glazed sea creatures and bubbles. Senior Emily Lin won third place and senior Anjali Chand earned an honorable mention in the computer art category for the digital pieces “Cat Nap” and “Museum Visit,” respectively.
Art teachers Leanne Argonish, Amy Cruz and Joanne Wagner encouraged students to submit both class assignments and independent artwork to the exhibition. Barker was initially hesitant to submit his art to the showcase, but was surprised by the experience after submitting.
“A lot of the students in my class were really reluctant to submit a piece, but I think once they were convinced and got to submitting something, it made them realize how much of a fun thing (submitting art) is to do,” Barker said. “I was one of the students that actually didn’t want to submit something, but I’m very glad that I did. I think more people should be willing to put their stuff out there, even if they feel like it’s not something that was super deep or meaningful.”
Throughout the year, Advanced Placement Studio Art students work on a Sustained Investigation where they choose a research question and aim to answer it through their art pieces. At the end of the year, they submit their artwork in a portfolio to the College Board. Some of the students submitting to the showcase chose to use work from their portfolios, while others like Barker elected to submit art outside of their Sustained Investigation.
“I chose the piece that I submitted because it had a piece of poetry to go with it,” Barker said. “I felt like it had more of a deeper meaning behind it than some of my other pieces. I felt I had put a different spin on the way that I usually create art. The piece that I submitted was a collage, instead of a more typical media, like a painting.”
Reflecting on the results from the contest, Chand was surprised by the results and enjoyed the experience of submitting art to the exhibition.
“It (winning an award) has definitely made me more confident to put myself out there, as far as contests are concerned, or any kind of professional space that I put my art into,” Chand said. “I feel like if I’m capable of winning that kind of award for this kind of piece, it’s very much an ego boost to me.”
Aren Framil can be reached at [email protected].
Lauren Pinheiro can be reached at [email protected].
