'Exhibiting Excellence' brings high-school artists' work to River Campus

Hundreds of pieces of artwork from area students were on display for �Exhibiting Excellence: 40th Annual High School Art Exhibition� on Sunday at Southeast Missouri State University�s River Campus.

�It�s a chance for these outstanding students and educators to really shine,� exhibition coordinator Carol Horst said. �They give their heart and soul for their art and that is reflected in their work.�

Twenty-five schools from Arcadia Valley to New Madrid, Missouri, participated in the celebration of visual art, she said.

The exhibition was postponed from Feb. 11 because of icy conditions, but still the vestibule of the Cultural Arts Center was standing-room only for the awards ceremony. More than 50 individual pieces were recognized for awards in drawing, ceramics, fibers, photography, sculpture and more. Six students were awarded full or partial tuition to upcoming workshops hosted by the university.

Savannah Gourley of Dexter (Missouri) High School received Best of Show for her piece �Focus.� Additionally, Gourley was awarded the Dr. Edwin Smith Scholarship for $1,000 to attend Southeast as an art major. The scholarship�s namesake is a former Southeast art education and sculpture professor and the founder of the High School Art Exhibition.

Dexter, Missouri, student Savannah Gourley poses for a photo with one of her drawings, "Grace," after winning Best of Show on Sunday at Crisp Museum in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

Christy Moore, art teacher at Saxony Lutheran High School, said the four Saxony students featured in the exhibition felt honored to be displayed with some of the best works in the area.

The artwork displayed in the exhibition were created by some of the best artists, and this exhibition is similar to districts or state competition in sports, Moore said. The artists featured are all-stars, she said.

Moore said arts are important for all students, because art is created through trial and error. Even students who don�t go on to major in art will benefit from going through the artistic process and having persistence to keep trying until they�re happy with the final product.

Troy Butler, a senior at Sikeston (Missouri) High School, said he plans to continue making art as he pursues a career in engineering. He said his piece, �The Conductor,� which took third place in the sculpture category, is two years in the making and still incomplete.

�I just go with it and see if I can build it or not,� Butler said. �I take it apart and remake it again to find the best way.�

He said the sculpture was his first attempt at soddering copper, and the piece�s name and theme were based on the metal�s physical properties.

Cloie Raines, a junior from Scott City who received honorable mention for her piece �Dignity,� said art allows her to express things no one can see.

�You can see how all of these people think in a different way,� she said. �People can see the way you feel.�

Gabby Baker, a senior at Puxico (Missouri) High School, said her piece, �Why You Always Lion,� took her most of the semester to create. The life-size cardboard replica of a lion�s head received honorable mention for sculpture.

�It was a terrible process. I had no idea what it was going to be,� Baker said. �My mom said do a lion, and it turned out to be a pretty good looking lion.�

Faculty and staff from Southeast�s art department welcomed the young artists to take part in upcoming studio workshops and encouraged them to consider pursing a degree in art.

The 385 works of regional high-school artists will be on display in Crisp Museum in the Cultural Arts Center through March 18.

Pertinent address:

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.