Ah Haa Moment: Youth Art Awards

23 Apr Ah Haa Moment: Youth Art Awards

This year’s juried Youth Art Exhibition at the Ah Haa School brought in over 100 submissions from students from Nucla, Norwood, and Telluride, with artwork ranging from drawings and paintings to ceramics and mixed media. The show opened during Art Walk on Thursday, April 2, during which 2015 prize winners were also announced.

Chambri Swartz, Best in Show

“This show is always difficult to judge,” said Ah Haa Curriculum Director Jessica Newens, who served as a juror along with Ouray-based artist and Ah Haa instructor Ann Cheeks and Ah Haa Exhibition Manager, Julie McNair. “We were impressed by the strength, originality, and artistic merit of so many students’ pieces, which made for some very difficult decisions. We feel our selections represent the strongest representation of these qualities.”

Work was broken up into three age categories: 7^th-8^th grade; 9^th-10^th grade; and 11^th-12^th grade. Best In Show went to Telluride High School 12^th grader Chambri Swartz for her acrylic painting of a woman named “Hilarity.”

First place Youth Art Award winners were Telluride Middle School 8^th grader Rubie DeLuca (charcoal flowers); Telluride Mountain School 9^th grader Will Roberts (“Boots,” graphite on paper); and Telluride High School 11^th grader Ting Taylor (prismacolor fish).

Ting Taylor

Several Honorable Mentions were also awarded in each grade category. 7^th-8^th grade honorees included Flynn Krueger (Telluride Mountain School), Lydia Hagan and Lucy Klempen (Telluride Middle School); 9^th-10^th grade honorees were Rosalee Pauline Walsh (Telluride Mountain School), Paula Petersen (Telluride High School), and Morgan Spor (Nucla High School ); and 11^th/12^th grade Honorable Mentions included Briana Santa Ana and Mary Grace Greene (Telluride High School). All award winners received cash and/or gift certificates as prizes.

“Ultimately, we hope every student who participated in this show – award winners or not – will be inspired to continue to explore their art,” said Newens.

Ah Haa’s Youth Art Awards show remains on display in the Daniel Tucker Gallery through April 24. The public is encouraged to stop by and view the students’ work.

Ah Haa would like to thank all of the participating school art instructors: Craig Wasserman, Jennifer Morgan, Abby Hamblin, Abigail Mahlin, and Naomi Marshall.

For more about the annual Youth Art Awards and this year’s winners, visit ahhaa.org.