The Future of Art

I must deviate from art journaling to share my Saturday with you.  Once again I had the privilege to be a judge for the 2011 Lake/Geauga Student Art Show.  It's always one of my favorite events and this year may have been one of the best years for artwork.  The mere scope and volume of work that we were presented with was amazing.  Our junior high and high school art teachers should be proud of the quality of work that their students submitted to this year's show.

After driving through blizzard-like, white-out conditions to get there, it was comforting to see the beautifully prepared table of coffee and pastries waiting to be devoured. (Of course, I had the chocolate muffin!)

Judging began bright and early at 9:00am.  We judged the 7th, 8th and 9th grade work in the morning, and there were ink dot drawings (left), print making (right) and 2D design (middle floor),  all very well executed.

There was mixed media collage,

And there were scads of delightful artworks in the "Colored pencil/crayon/colored inks" category.

This is a sampling of work from the 8th graders (if I remember correctly)

I'm disappointed that I didn't get more photos, but the morning grew long and the coffee wore off!

This amazing little acrylic painting caught my eye and was in the right place at the right time for a photo opportunity - as was this beautifully rendered drawing from the colored pencil category.

After the 7th, 8th, and 9th grade judging was completed. we had lunch and were able to socialize and recharge before judging the 10th, 11th and 12th grade art.

The distinguished panel of judges.

Did I say distinguished?  What can I say, we're not without our fun moments!

The thought and creativity expressed in the work of the high school students was exceptional.  I was thrilled to see altered books and an impressive amount of functional pottery and sculpture from this group of talented students, and I regret that I didn't get photographs of them.  There were almost 80 pieces of functional pottery this year - the most I've ever seen.

Judging ended around 4:00pm.  It was a long, tiring day, but it was a good day.  It was also a difficult day choosing the "best of the best", but it was also a heart warming day to see that when I am long gone from this earth, there will be others following in my footsteps.  It was evident in the quality of work to see that for most of these students, art isn't a project, but a way of life.  I could feel it in their concepts.  I could see it in their skills.

These students are the future of art, and after having the honor of viewing their precious works, I can say that the future of art looks bright.  Many thanks go to the recruiting staff for allowing me the opportunity to participate as a judge again.

Have a great day, and remember to "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"