The Quad City High School Art Invitational allows high school students to submit their work to what is likely their first art show. It lets creative students share their work with the community and gain recognition. The work was on display to the public for a week in April.
The 45th annual Quad City Arts show was very exciting for PV students. The show this year had a total prize amount of $7,000, and there were over 100 entries from 20 schools. PV won $1,800 of this prize with four winners. The winners from PV were Arissa Khan, Katie Lee, Lauren McGovern and Lizzie McVey.
A majority of the prizes were for $100, but senior Lauren McGovern won $1,500 for her piece, “Appeal to Mercury.” The oil on canvas work won Senior Scholarship as well as Best of Show, two of the most generous awards. McGovern spent over 80 hours on this piece alone.
She painted using the same style that the famous artist Caravaggio used in the early 17th century. She began by going to a studio to get the picture she would create her piece from. At the studio, she hired models to pose for her hopeful piece, giving them makeshift props that she would bring to life in the painting.
Then, she brought the pictures to art class and used them as inspiration for the piece, meaning that the work is not an exact copy of the pictures she took at the studio. McGovern started by pencilining in borders and creating everything in black and white. She made many layers, each time using a lighter color, until the painting had all of the right colors.
Once McGovern finished adding the colors, she was able to add the exquisite details like the wrinkles in the fabric that bring the piece to life. The golden staff is a symbol of Mercury, who the piece is named after. McGovern feels the piece conveys hopefulness to viewers. Junior Arissa Khan mentioned that the piece is beautiful, saying it definitely deserves the awards it has received.
Khan was awarded $100 for her piece. It is titled “atlas libéré” and shows a human holding up a planet on a black background. The planet has a face set in it, possibly implying the idea that planets are alive. It is another great example of the artwork created by PV students.
Those with submitted pieces actually got to experience the event in person. “It was packed,” said McGovern. “People were literally standing shoulder to shoulder there.” So many people came to view the work created by teenagers and their teachers.
“The Art show was the first time my work has been put on display outside of PV,” Khan commented. McGovern and her both shared feelings of gratitude and hopefulness regarding the event as a whole. Khan added, “It’s a great opportunity for people to get into the environment.”
The money awarded to the artists comes from exhibit sponsors and often totals over $6,000. Even without the money, McGovern thinks the art show is still a valuable experience. She said, “It’s really interesting to see what people come up with and great to see your friends get recognized for their talent.” It does not seem common to see artists recognized in the community today.
The show is really inspiring and a great first step for many young artists. Both Khan and McGovern were very inspired by the show. It helped both of them decide that they want to continue making creative work to share with the community. It is an amazing opportunity for students to express emotion through their art with the community they live in.
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