LITTLE ROCK — Several young artists from the Tri-Lakes Edition coverage area have their work on display in the 54th Young Arkansas Artists exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock.
The exhibit will be on view through July 26 in the Alice Pratt Brown Atrium and the Sam Strauss Sr. Gallery.
“At the Arkansas Arts Center, we believe that the arts have the ability to educate and empower our youth while cultivating a positive form of self-expression,” said Todd Herman, Arkansas Arts Center executive director. “We strive to promote quality arts-education initiatives and achievement in the visual arts, and through this exhibition, we are offering a wonderful platform to celebrate artwork created by our young Arkansans.”
This exhibition features art by Arkansas students in kindergarten through the12th-grade. This year, 18 teachers entered 455 works in a wide variety of media from 111 schools. Members of the Arkansas Art Educators Association juried the entries, selecting 106 works for the exhibition. Art must be original and completed within the 2014-15 school year.
Katherine Strauss of Little Rock, formerly of Conway, served as the guest juror. Strauss is an associate professor of art and chair of the art department at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. She selected Best of Class and Honorable Mention awards for each grade, as well as other awards. Each winning artist’s school receives a monetary award to support the school’s art program.
Selected works from the exhibition travel to schools and other venues around the state as part of the Arkansas Arts Center’s State Services Program.
Local students with works in the show include the following:
• Bryant Middle School: Seventh-grader Gabriella Shanever with Bird.
• Benton Harmony Grove Elementary School, Haskell: First-grader Savannah McWhorter with Pattern Cat; and fifth-grader Garren Jackson with Ladybugs.
• Howard Perrin Elementary School, Benton: Kindergartner Lilith Fedor, who won an honorable mention award with Blast Off; and third-grader Presley Cobb with Self-Portrait.
• Lakeside High School, Hot Springs: 12th-grader Mark Fuller, who won an honorable mention award with Coffee Creatures.
• Sheridan Middle School: Eighth-grader Terah Grimes with From Melodies to Symphonies.
• Smithzonian Art Center, Arkadelphia: Second-grader Alli Arnold with Best Friends; fifth-grader Carly Carozza with Blue and Olive; and sixth-grader Mallorie Carozza with Practice Perfect.
• Springhill Elementary School, Bryant: Fifth-grader Britani Williams, who won an honorable mention award with A Colorful Dog.
The Arkansas Arts Center is at Ninth and Commerce streets in Little Rock. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. The center is closed Mondays and major holidays. There is no admission charge.
For more information, call (501) 372-4000 or visit www.arkarts.com.