The 53rd Utah All-State High School Art Show at Springville Museum of Art sets a high benchmark in visual arts excellence

Among the nation’s largest and longest-running student art shows of its kind, the 53rd edition of the Utah All-State High School Art Show is once again a splendid manifestation of the visual arts talent in the Beehive State’s art education programs. As in many other programs for young creators, producers and artists, this show exemplifies the depth of originality and enterprising expression the young artists portray.   

Set to close this weekend, the exhibition is part of a long running historical collaboration between the Springville Museum of Art, high school teachers and students, and various private partners. The scope is vast. A panel of 13 professional artists and arts administrators reviewed each of the 1,029 entries by 863 students in order to curate this exhibition. The show has a final selection of 327 works, representing 98 Utah high schools, which collectively highlight the talent, creativity, and promise of the upcoming generation of artists.

Awards includedOutstanding Student of the Year, David O. McKay School of Education, Utah Senate Visual Arts, Jurors, Utah State Board of Education Purchase, numerous society and organizational awards, Congressional Awards from each district. The Utah Review visited Springville Museum of Art and is pleased to highlight a few of the equally strong works of art that comprise the show, nearly all of which received at least one award. The benchmark of quality is pitched high in the show and these impressively mature works would be worthy of merit, regardless of the artist’s age.

The show stands out for its diverse sampling of vivid, idiosyncratic approaches these young artists undertook to define their experiences and personalities through their pieces. Among the Best of Show winners was Nicole Ilagan Mendoza (Woods Cross High School, Grade 12) A Ride Home, chronicling one of her favorite memories on a motorized tricycle during a trip to the Philippines, her parents’ homeland. Her gouache paining exudes the imagery she described, “There would be times when my three brothers and I would squeeze onto one tricycle to get home from our tita’s house, or I would ride on the back of the motorcycle and watch as we passed the shops. But my fondest memories came from the late-night rides when the streets were dark with every bump in the road felt, with the cold breeze blowing through the tricycle and rain drops hitting the roof of the sidecar while my mom hugged me warmly.”

Kai Dunford’s (Pleasant Grove High School, Grade 12) ceramic piece NewWaVe is an excellent example of wabi-sabi, presented in a magnificent mature statement about the artistic beauty of imperfections. Audrey Gale’s (Murray High School, Grade 12) ceramic sculpture Ocean Currents reflects another example of solid grasp of techniques to represent through textures the organic adaptation of coral to sea currents. Cole Jackson’s (Sky View High School, Grade 12) clay piece Timber Tone is the result of the artist’s first attempt at a four-piece sectional, a challenge he said his brother had taken up during his senior year. He adapted a pot shape he created in an earlier piece to set this work, which convincingly resembles tree bark.  

The ceramic piece Ikaika Helmet by Kamohoali’i Chan (Spanish Fork High School, Grade 12) is among the large bounty of examples by Utah student artists who are inspired by their own ethnic and cultural roots. Recalling a helmet similarly worn by his father during his own high school years, Chan studied ancient Hawaiian warrior helmets, and created a ceramic helmet adorned with feathers. These cultural objects are typically displayed in homes and cars, as the artist explained, ”invoking safety, protection, and fearlessness.”

Another outstanding ceramic piece is Leo Holt‘s (Copper Hills High School, Grade 12) The Hamburger, ingeniously styled to be functional in the kitchen. Each component was designed to hold food on it, including a tomato-slice and egg tray. 

Many artists responded in their work to issues they consider tantamount at the moment. Maria Lopez-Sandoval’s (Academy For Math, Engineering & Science (AMES), Grade 11) watercolor Rossa Palestina reflects hope. “The Palestinian flag flying over Gaza is not a mere fantasy of my paintings, but rather the inevitable truth that each Palestinian holds in their hearts as bombs reduce their homes to ruin,” she explained in her artistic statement, adding that she is donating proceeds to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

The wondrous effect of stargazing at a location where the night sky is not spoiled by light pollution is epitomized in Andrik Essey’s (Wasatch Academy, Grade 11) pigment print Over the Arch, yet another example of how well developed a grasp of technique these young artists have. Just as striking is Harmony Bartholomew’s (Provo High School, Grade 11) charcoal-and-gouache piece Heavenly Message, an expression of her connection to faith through music’s power 

There is facility in every medium represented in the show. For example, a morning view of the Oquirrh Mountains foothills near the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine is rendered exquisitely in The archival pigment print Frosted Foothills by Brigg Readicker (Tooele High School, Grade 11). Even straightforward pieces such as Ainsley Jeppsen’s (Clearfield High School, Grade 12) watercolor Gnocchi stand out not just for its vibrant colors but also a good level of detail, to capture textures in these Italian dumplings.

Winner of the Pilar Pobil Legacy Award, Isabella Freeman’s (Herriman High School, Grade 12) mixed media piece I Believed in God in 2008 represents the image of the artist at the age of one-and-a-half years old and her mother, a memory that stands out despite their difficult relationship since then. Freeman started with an acrylic base and she added layers of cut and hole-punched colored paper. The labor-intensive process is worth the effort, culminating in its captivating outcome.

Multicultural and cosmopolitan perspectives were prominent. Abram Masih’s (West High School, Grade 12) oil painting Identical Stripes harmonizes East and West cultural perspectives about tigers. His artistic statement indicates the success of the young man’s magnificent achievement of his creative brief and his identity: “My younger self, with his face painted alongside the tiger, tells a story of a little boy wanting to mimic its ferocity and beauty, masking the insecurities formed growing up. But while my vulnerabilities are disguised, they can still manifest through the painted stripes, each stripe emphasizing a sense of identity and belonging. Just like a tiger can’t change its stripes, neither should I.”

Artists also brought rich storytelling elements into their work. Samuel Reesor’s  (Home School, Grade 11) mixed media piece This Guy Means Treble! features musicians under the stern-looking conductor’s baton. It’s a savvy, humorous piece that adds narrative heft to a moment in a scene that opens to an imaginative gateway of narrative. 

Gabe Harper’s (Olympus High School, Grade 11) 2:00 AM is autobiographical just as many other pieces in the show. While the artist notes that this is just his third painting, he steps boldly in expressing both an inner conflict and resolve to fight against setbacks and to stay on path for advancing his goals down the metaphorical hallway. The candid nature of the piece is formidable.

Another ingenious autobiographical expression comes through in Benjamin Talbot’s (Pleasant Grove High School, Grade 12) acrylic canvas painting A Day In The Museum, which exemplifies a deft application of a Fibonacci spiral and the rule of thirds composition. He composed the painting in part tying together stories he has heard from those who have visited The Louvre in Paris. In the painting’s upper-left corner, the artist is seen as a child trying to break away from the crowd of tourists. It definitely has a Norman Rockwell feel and the result is gratifying.

Yet another autobiographical inspired artwork, the charcoal piece The Climb by Charley Hyans (Highland High School, Grade 12) signifies the artist’s transition journey through the context of the mythological story of Icarus. “I saw it as a story of a man reaching for something he can’t quite have yet, melting as he gets closer and closer to his goal,” Hyans explained. “This is a representation of my transition as a trans man, because Icarus is still reaching despite defying his family’s expectations.”

While many artists strove to establish specific contexts in their pieces, others such as Atticus Ogzewalla (Walden School Of Liberal Arts, Grade 11) wanted to achieve the effect of sparking viewers to not focus on trying to pinpoint or anchor the piece in context or meaning but to instead let their reactions occur freestyle. Earning one of the jury awards, the digital painting DOGTOOTH is pure youthful expression.

Artists thought carefully about composition and allowing just enough intricacies in their work without allowing them to overwhelm the final look. An enterprising example is Ben Landon’s (Bountiful High School, Grade 11) mixed media piece The Salty Shack, a marvelous model of balance and elegance that belies its ramshackle origins with a statement about reaching higher in ambitions, spirit and effort. 

Although the main exhibition closes, a  sampling of works have been selected for traveling shows which will take place throughout the state.For more information about the main show.which ends March 22, see the Springville Museum of Art website.