Four HHS artists recognized at CKL art festival

Allison Weber?s ?Silver? award paper cutout, ?Sawing Waves.??Merit? winner untitled pencil drawing by Darcy Heinrichs.?Merit? winner untitled photo by Lydia Kliewer.

Work submitted by four Hillsboro High School art students received recognition by the judges at the Central Kansas League art festival hosted April 29 at McPherson College.

The annual festival offers a professionally juried exhibition for high school students who are selected by their teachers at Sterling, Halstead, Hesston, Hills?boro, Haven, Kingman, Lyons, Nickerson, Pratt, Smoky Valley, Larned and Hoising?ton.

This year brought about 120 students to campus with more than 375 works of art in a wide range of media: paint, pencil, ceramics, photography and even corrugated cardboard.

 Senior Shannon Martens holds her watercolor called ?The Runaways,? which won a ?Gold? award from the judges at the Central Kansas League art festival April 29. HHS senior Shannon Martens was recognized for two watercolor entries. She received a Gold award for ?The Runaways,? and a Merit award for ?Marro Bay at Sunset.?

Senior Allison Weber received a Silver award for her paper cutout, ?Sawing Waves.

Merit awards also went to senior Darcy Heinrichs for her untitled pencil drawing, and junior Lydia Kliewer for an untitled photo.

?I?m extremely proud of the students that both won an award and those who didn?t,? said Dustin Dalke, HHS art instructor. ?They all are brave in showcasing their work to the public.?

McPherson College has hosted the festival since 2011. The show was juried by Frank Shaw, associate professor of art at Bethany College, and Mary Kay, professor of art at Bethany.

Shannon Martens? ?Merit? winning watercolor titled, ?Marro Bay at Sunset.?Kay and Shaw said rating such excellent and diverse artwork was a joy, and a job.

?Walking in the door,? Shaw said, ?I realized that our work is going to be much more difficult than I had anticipated.?

While their work was judged, the high school artists got to learn new skills in professional-level workshops, including pinhole photography, clay, plaster casting and quilting.

Wayne Conyers, McPher?son College professor of art, said the league festival used to be in high school gymnasiums, with work hung on chicken wire.

Work from the 2015 show was posted on Twitter with the hashtag #cklart.

More from Hillsboro Free Press
Message of hope
Mixed with the joy and anticipation of this Christmas season are discordant...
Read More