737 works in River Valley Student Art Competition

The 11th annual River Valley Student Art Competition featured the works of 737 area students, with the art to be on display through April 25th at the Center for Arts & Education in Van Buren and the Fort Smith Art Center.

“This annual event is one of the ways we can work together to benefit the youth of our communities,” noted a joint statement from the two art organizations. “By providing encouragement and recognition for young artists, we hope to give them a head start in achieving their dreams.”

An awards ceremony for grades K-6 was held Saturday at the center in Van Buren, where that art is presented. The ceremony for grades 7-12 was held Sunday at the Fort Smith Art Center, where that art is presented.

The best of show winner for the K-3 grade category was Nadia Lougin from Euper Lane Elementary in Fort Smith for her “Flowers” painting. The best of show winner for the 4-6 category was Aaron Lee from Rena Elementary in Van Buren for his “Photo Transformation.”

Best of show winner in the 7-9 grades was Katelyn Campbell from Pansy Kidd Middle School in Poteau for her “Clumsy the Clown” painting. Best of show in the 10-12 group was Hobin Lee from Subiaco Academy for his “Horse” piece.

Jurors for the art competition were Michael Ellison and Ingrid Gipson.

Gipson, born in Germany, worked in the fashion industry in Chicago, Europe and New York. She also was a lecturer on fashion design at the University of Texas in Austin. Ellison is from Tulsa but now lives on a family ranch in Sallisaw. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism/advertising from Oklahoma State University and a master’s of art from the University of Tulsa. He produces illustrations for numerous publications, including children’s novels.

Following is a short video of some of the art on display at the Center for Arts & Education in Van Buren.