From left, Council of the Arts president Melissa Brooks, third place winner Austin Robinson, first place winner Mark Lee and former Council of the Arts president Penny Arnold.
Pell City High School sophomore Mark Lee won first place in the exhibit with his mixed media piece, “Blue Fairy.” This is his second year in a row to win the first place award in the event.
The third place winner, “King Lion” by Austin Robinson from Moody High School.
St. Clair County art students were honored with a reception and awards ceremony hosted by the Council of the Arts March 1 at the Pell City Library. The 80 pieces of art in the collection will be displayed through March at the library and then moves to the Artscape Gallery in downtown Pell City.
Hosted by members of the Council of the Arts, the annual Juried High School Art Exhibit Opening Reception was held March 1 at the Pell City Library.
This year, participation in the event took a big turn with an increase from 50 to 55 pieces submitted last year to a total of 80 pieces this year, said Melissa Brooks, president for the Council of the Arts.
The collection will remain at the Pell City Library through March, and then be displayed at Artscape Gallery in downtown Pell City, which is operated by the Council of the Arts.
Brooks remarked on the diversity of the pieces submitted for this year’s show.
“Some is whimsical and some is dark, and some is what I’d call of center and I really like that,” she said.
“Diversity is what art is really about, it reflects people’s creativity, and everyone has their own expression.”
Brooks encouraged the young artists to follow their inclinations and continue with their expression.
“Keep ‘arting’,” she said. “And don’t let people tell you that you’re non-conformists.”
Pieces in the collection include everything from cartoon characters such as Tweety Bird and The Cat in the Cat to huge paper mache’ pieces and traditional portraiture and three dimensional and abstract art.
Students received certificates for art supplies provided by the council, redeemable at Alabama Art Supply in Homewood.
Participating high schools and art teachers included Pell City High School, Kelly Whittington; Moody High School, April Bishop and Donna Turner; St. Clair County High School, Mary Morrow and Springville High School, Jennifer Brand.
Awards are as follows:
First place, Mark Lee, Pell City High School, “Blue Fairy” (mixed media)
Second place, Randi Armstrong, St. Clair County High School, “Robert Redford” (charcoal)
Third place, Austin Robinson, Moody High School, “King Lion” (paper mache’)
Honorable Mentions:
Amanda Anderson, Pell City High School
Blakeney Cox, St. Clair County High School
Kimberly Greon, Pell City High School
Suzanna Laurance, Pell City High School
Blaine Andrews, Springville High School
Valerie Robinson, St. Clair County High School
Sydney Boehm, Springville High School
Alex Graves, Moody High School
Valerie Robinson, St. Clair County High School School.
Contact Laura Nation-Atchison at lnation@dailyhome.com.
