Sparked by a volunteer in 1963, it is the longest-running celebration of high school art in our region.
The Evansville Museum of Arts, Science & History presents its 60th Annual High School Art Show from March 16 to April 16. It features student art from 19 high schools in Gibson, Pike, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties. Of 744 artworks submitted by 524 students this year, only about 125 will make it in.
โCelebrating regional artists is an important part of what we do, both through this show and our annual Mid-States Exhibition,โ says Evansville Museum Executive Director Mary Bower.
The brainchild of Museum Guild member Shirley Wright, the show has touched thousands of young artistsโ lives. Wrightโs son Robert and his wife Marianna have sponsored the show since 2011 to honor her legacy.
Jon Siau was a North High School art teacher for 42 years. He has presented the Palmer and Lorene Siau Memorial Merit Award annually since 1992 in honor of his parents.
โWe have dedicated art educators in our region, and we couldnโt put on this show without them,โ Bower says. The teachers arrange and prepare submissions, fill out entry paperwork, and make sure the art gets to the museum and back.
โThis happens outside their normal teaching duties to see that their students get this opportunity,โ Bower said.
Former Castle High School art teacher Anne Dowhie says her goal was to show students โthey could do something they didnโt think possible for them. Each student who gets in can be proud of accomplishing that.โ
Mary Bower believes that participating in the show as students makes todayโs art teachers more competitive.
โWhen I was a Castle freshman, my graphite drawing won first place,โ New Tech Institute art teacher and artist Brooke Wheeler said. โThat gave me confidence. It motivated me to continue with art. Iโm competitive. I want to get my studentsโ pieces in the show so their work is recognized.โ
โWe exhibit their work in the same galleries we use for master artists,โ Evansville Museum Curator AJ Gianopoulos says. โNot in a hallway like other museums.โ
This yearโs show is in the Old Gallery that just held the โActive Stillnessโ exhibit.
โWeโre showing pieces by students who have something special to say and worked hard to achieve it,โ Gianopoulos says. โYou really see the cream rise to the top.โ
The quality of work across a range of media is remarkable.
Katie Waters, professor of art emerita at the University of Southern Indiana, is a good judge of that. She was the 2020 show juror and says, โI am awed by the creativity and skills of the young artists of southwestern Indiana.โ
Peg Faimon, Dean of Indiana Universityโs Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, is this yearโs juror. She sought works that blaze with originality.
โI look for art that surprises me,โ she says. โThat strikes me in a way Iโm not expecting. Whether the subject or just the way colors come together.”
The opening reception and awards presentation takes place at 7 p.m. March 16. Students will receive $5,000 in cash prizes thanks to generous donors.
โOpening night is a highlight of our year,โ Bower says.
