Three Cape Girardeau Central High School students take top honors at High School Art Exhibition

She began with a template and spray paint, and achieved more than she thought possible.

Jessica Hagerty was among three Cape Girardeau Central High School students to take home top honors in the 33rd annual High School Art Exhibition, presented by the Southeast Missouri State University Art Department.

Hagerty won first place in the printmaking category for her piece, which moved the consummate planner into the playground of art.

"It was really cool to see it come together, but there was no way to plan what it was going to look like," said the senior, who added she generally likes to plan and practice her art projects long before starting.

Art may be something that comes naturally to Hagerty, but it wasn't a discipline she pursued until her junior year. That's why she was astounded by her first-place finish in her first art contest.

"I always was sketching in my notebooks and stuff and just, like, doodling in my papers," she said. "So it was an early sign, I guess."

Now, she sees art as a part of her future.

So does Shannon Nuyt, who took first place in ceramics for her Roman coliseum-influenced teapot and an honorable mention for another project. Nuyt said hearing her name on the winner's list opened a door.

"It felt like a jump start to something that could fuel my future," the junior said.

She loves to create, in all mediums. Art, she said, takes her somewhere else.

"I like the process of creating things, and I like the results I get from other people when I finish," Nuyt said. That's why she says she wants art to be a big part of her life.

"I think it would be a shame for me not to use what I've got," she said.

Daniel Price, a senior at the high school, took first place in the sculpture category for his stick figure piece. The found-art idea was to employ a branch or a stick, giving it ceramic feet, hands and head, and imbuing it with expression. Price described his work as slothlike. He, too, was surprised by his win at the exhibit.

"There was a lot of other things I thought were better than my piece, but I was pretty excited," he said.

Price said he's long been drawn to art, an interest fostered by his family.

"It's something I've always loved," he said. "My parents are really into art and they have always tried to get me to do more things that are artistic."

The work continues for the three award-winning students. On Tuesday, they refined sculpture pieces, using seed pods as their inspiration.

"I like the process of watching the artwork coming together," Nuyt said.

mkittle@semissourian.com

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High School Art Exhibition award winners

Best In Show: Amy Walden, Painting, Poplar Bluff, Mo.

First-place winners

Ceramics: Shannon Nuyt, Cape Girardeau Central High School

Drawing: Crystal Glass, Poplar Bluff

Fibers: Agee Hausman, Bismarck, Mo.

Painting: Lucy Gage, Saxony Lutheran

Photography: Kelsey Jenkins, Sikeston, Mo.

Printmaking: Jessica Hagerty, Cape Girardeau Central High School

Sculpture: Daniel Price, Cape Girardeau Central High School