High School Art Contest Winners Announced at the CNM

The winners of the first Kalamazoo Valley Community College Greater Kalamazoo High School Art and Design Competition Exhibit were announced during Art Hop on December 2.

The exhibit includes 70 pieces of art created by students from 16 different high schools including Covert High School, Kalamazoo Innovative Learning Program, KRESA, Kalamazoo Central High School, Portage Central High School, Loy Norrix High School, Van Buren Tech Center, Lawton High School, Mattawan High School, Portage Northern High School, Decatur High School, Gull Lake High School, Comstock High School, Home School/Gull Lake Virtual High School, Schoolcraft High School and Bloomingdale High School.

The winners are:

Best of Show - Gabriel (Gabe) Huntley, Van Buren Tech Center
Animation - "Sonic vs. Scorpion"
Award - Two semesters of tuition (15 credit max per semester) and additional funds for books and materials for enrollment in the Studio Arts or Applied Media Technologies programs.

1st Place - Alexa Garcia, Portage Central
Encaustic Art - "Pile of Metal"
Award - $500

2nd Place - Olivia Clauda - KRESA CTE Art & Design
Digital Illustration - "Through the Stained Glass"

3rd Place - Malia Kleis, Kalamazoo Central
Woodblock & Ink - "Forever In Thought"

Honorable Mention - Sydney Hughes, Kalamazoo Central
Mixed Media - "My Life On Paper"

Honorable Mention - Timothy Zhang, Portage Central
Oil On Canvas - "The Window"

The exhibit will remain on display at the Center for New Media in downtown Kalamazoo throughout the months of December and January.

This contest will be an annual event at the CNM, according to Director Tom Hamann. The contest and related exhibit will be on display every year during the months of December and January in the Arcus and Center for New Media gallery spaces and open on the evening of Art Hop. Four awards will be given for Best of Show, first, second and third places.

"We're extremely pleased with the success of this inaugural show. The student submissions were excellent and we had more than 300 visitors come through the building during Art Hop," said Hamann. "The quality of the art and the level of participation exceeded our expectations."

See photos from the event opening at https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalamazoovalley/albums/72177720304220921.