Playfulness gets special attention at arts festival

Bethany Barnicle's whimsical painting of yellow flowers will grace the office of U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson for the next year.

Barnicle, a fifth-grader at North Elementary School in Jackson, was among dozens of students whose artwork was celebrated by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri during a Sunday reception.

Entries for the ninth annual Children's Arts Festival will continue to be displayed at the arts council, the new Federal Building, Cape Girardeau Regional Library and West Park Mall until Feb. 1.

The juried show saw 60 prized awarded to third- through eighth-grade artists. Southeast Missouri State University art professors Carol Horst and Sam Bishop (retired) judged the show's 305 entries from students in five counties.