Avon High School Art Students Exhibit in the 2019 Regional Scholastic Art Show

The Lorain County Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition has been providing a program to recognize, exhibit and honor excellence in visual art from grade 7-12 students for over 50 years. The 2020 exhibition kicked off Jan. 15 at the Beth K. Stocker Gallery on the campus of Lorain County Community College and includes artwork from several Avon High School students.

The Scholastic Art Awards program is the largest annual art competition in the country. Students in schools across the United States and Canada create the 150,000 entries each year. The local exhibit draws from public, parochial, and private middle and high schools from Lorain, Erie, and Huron Counties. Each year, over 1,400 original works of art from the regions’ students are entered by art teachers. Professional judges choose up to 700 pieces of art that are hung salon-style in the Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery at Lorain County Community College.

Avon High School art teacher, Karen Busch, entered a variety of two and three-dimensional works this year. Work was juried by an esteemed panel of art and design professionals and professors from northeast Ohio. Work was judged by originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal vision and voice. Grade 7-8 students compete in one division with all categories mixed. The high school students are competing together, grades 9-12, at the “varsity level” within various separate media categories. Students earn third place “Honorable Mention,” second place “Silver Key” and the first place of “Gold Key”. Placing among the 550 pieces in this show is like placing in “districts” in sports. Those works earning a regional “Gold Key” here advance directly to national jurying in New York City this spring.

The categories of art include architecture, ceramics, glass, comic art, design, digital, drawing, illustration, editorial cartoon, fashion design, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, video game design, and Senior portfolio. The exhibit is the gallery’s most popular of the year, amazing visitors with the diversity and talent of student artists in our region.

Avon High School students earned nine (9) Gold Keys. Students include: Joshua Boesger (2 Gold Keys) – Grade 11 (painting, and drawing and illustration); Austin Strauss – Grade 11 (photography); Brooklyn Wentz – Grade 12 (drawing and illustration); Madeline Gardner – Grade 12 (photography); Kendall Warnkin – Grade 12 (mixed media); Taryn Bolen – Grade 12 (drawing and illustration); Natalie Woods (2 Gold Keys) – Grade 12 (painting)

Avon High School students earned nine (9) Silver Keys. Students include: Jenna Mintzlaff – Grade 12; Olivia Oprea – Grade 12; Joshua Boesger – Grade 11; Taryn Bolen – Grade 12; Madeline Gardner – Grade 12; Libby Regas (2 Silver Keys) – Grade 10; Austin Strauss – Grade 11; Brooklyn Wentz – Grade 12

Honorable Mention honors include: Jeremy Harrison – Grade 12; Samantha Keressi (2 Honorable Mentions) – Grade 9; Gianna Lopiccolo (2 Honorable Mentions) – Grade 12; Jenna Mintzlaff (2 Honorable Mentions) – Grade 12; Jasmine Ortiz – Grade 12; Carson Overy (2 Honorable Mentions) – Grade 11; Julie Peterson – Grade 10; Libby Regas – Grade 10; Claire Schwartz – Grade 12; Austin Strauss (2 Honorable Mentions) – Grade 11; Kendall Warnkin (3 Honorable Mentions) – Grade 12; Brooklyn Wentz (2 Honorable Mentions) – Grade 12; Natalie Woods – Grade 12; Liza Woods – Grade 10

The exhibit is hosted at the Stocker Center gallery, 1005 N Abbe Rd, Elyria, on the campus of Lorain County Community College and sponsored by the Nordson Corporation with additional funding from the C. Paul Stocker Arts Foundation and Lorain County Community College. The exhibit runs now through Feb. 20 and is open to the public. A special reception for all artists will be held Jan. 26 from 1 to 3 p.m. A Gold Key awards ceremony and reception will be held on Feb. 2 from 1 to 3 p.m. for the Gold Key winners. Beth K. Stocker Gallery hours are Mon. – Fri. 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with Tues., Wed., and Thurs. evenings 4 to 6:30 p.m.; and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. The gallery is also open during Stocker Center Hoke Theater performances.

The exhibit may also be seen by appointment by calling 440-366-4140.