Students from across the Buckeye state have been busy preparing different pieces of art for the opportunity to be selected as one of the top 300 in the annual Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition. Those not selected in the top 300 were then judged by committees from the State Department of Education and the Governor’s Office and 25 pieces were selected to be displayed at each location as part of one of the two private cameo shows.
The competition began with regional judging at Ontario High School where there were almost 1,000 pieces of artwork from 14 different schools, including Bucyrus High School, representing District Two. A panel of judges selected the top 235 pieces to represent District Two in the state judging.
“These students worked extremely hard to create their individual artwork,” art teacher Michael Striker said. “These students put their artwork in the spotlight to be judged, and we were fortunate to have seven pieces by five students selected to move on to the state judging. This is five more pieces than last year!”
The state judging was held at Hilliard-Davidson High School on March 12, when they narrowed down the top 2,500 pieces of artwork from across the state of Ohio down to the top 300 in the Governor’s Art Show and next top 50 for the two cameo shows. Those students who had artwork selected to be judged at the state level included Keegan Sims, Nessee Rittenberry, Sidney Stevens, Breanna Fry with one piece each and Christina Johnson with three pieces.
BHS students Christina Johnson (watercolor, “Cat”) and Nessee Rittenberry (permanent ink drawing, “Wooven Pug”) both had pieces selected to be displayed in the State Department of Education as part of one of the two cameo shows that are part of the Governor’s Art Show, with the other being at the Governor’s Office. Their selection allowed them to be part of the top 350 art students in the state of Ohio.
“I want to congratulate Christina and Neesee for having their artwork selected as two of the top 350 in the entire state of Ohio,” Superintendent Kevin Kimmel said. “All of the students who entered pieces in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition should be proud of their accomplishments. Mr. Striker does a fantastic job working with our students to hone their artistic abilities, and the students’ accomplishments are a direct result of that positive working relationship.”
The Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition is a fierce competition that results in many scholarship opportunities for seniors throughout Ohio. While the other three Bucyrus students, Sims, Stevens and Fry, were not selected as state winners, their artwork will be displayed for five weeks at the Mansfield Art Center representing District Two.
To learn more about the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition, visit www.govart.org. Please contact Mr. Michael Striker at 419-562-7721 for more information about the Bucyrus High School Art department.
