The 11th Annual Orinda Arts Council Visual Arts Contest has honored 9 Campolindo students.
The students are senior Courtney Daum, who won 1st place in 2D Art, junior Gavin Rock, who won 2nd place in 3D Art, freshman Mariah Brown, who was an honorable mention in 3D Art, senior Saarah Shah-Slechta, who won 1st place in photography, senior Anna Fenske, who won 2nd place in photography, and senior Jonathan Rowland, sophomore Santi Cabrera, senior Hanna Schoenberger, and junior Hannah Buck, who all were honorable mentions in photography.
“My friend sent me a picture of my sculpture, and it said I got second place on it, so I was really surprised,” Rock said. “I personally didn’t think it was that good, but I guess it was better than I thought it was.”
Shah-Slechta’s self portrait was inspired by Pinterest. She said, “I was looking on Pinterest for ideas and I saw this one idea, and I just ran with it.”
1st place winners won $300, 2nd place winners won $200, 3rd place winners won $100, and honorable mentions won $25 each. Ties in categories resulted in splitting the prize money between the two winners.
According to contest volunteer and former Orinda Arts Council co-president Susan Garell, “just shy” of $2400 was given out in prize money to 20 winners. The money came from the Orinda Arts Council budget. Donations from the Education Foundation of Orinda (EFO), the Moraga Education Foundation (MEF), and the Lafayette Partners in Education (LPIE) helped support the show.
According to contest chairperson Natalie Wheeler, the judges first looked at every entry and scored it on a judges scoring sheet on a scale of 1-10 based on content, expertise, and originality. Together, the judges then discussed the stand-out pieces, and went “through the process of discussing its merits they would come to a decision.” This was done for all 3 categories.
The students entered the contest through teachers Jill Langston (art) and Collette Sweeney (photography). Entering the contest was not a required assignment for any of the classes, but both teachers encouraged their students to submit.
According to Langston, each student in her AP Studio Art and Independent Art Portfolio classes had the opportunity to submit a work. She then opened the contest up to Advanced Art students, Art 2 students, and some Art 1 students.
Each student chose 2 pieces to show Langston. Langston then discussed individually with each student which piece they should submit. Langston said there needed to be “balance” between the submissions. “I try and balance out the work and make sure we have a variety. A student might like another work better, but if everyone has a work on cardboard then they have to give it up and pick another one,” Langston said.
All 3 of Sweeney’s photo classes were encouraged to enter the contest. 21 of her students entered. Sweeney helped students select and print their photographs, which were assignments from the class.
“I think it’s really important to show the work outside of the Campo campus. The students are more connected to the community, and the community is more connected to the students,” Sweeney said.
Entrants had to submit an online application by February 18, and the actual artwork by February 26.
The contest was open to students from both public and private schools in the Lamorinda area, as well as Las Lomas, which has not been allowed to enter in previous years.
“The contest is an opportunity for Lamorinda high schoolers as well as Las Lomas students to exhibit their art in the Orinda Library art gallery as well as to have their art judged by professional artists,” said Garell.
All 210 entries are on display at the art gallery in the Orinda Library through March 27.
According to Garell, the Orinda Arts Council originally advocated for the addition of the gallery when the library was being rebuilt 12 years ago. Councilmembers became the curators of the gallery, choosing which pieces go in and out of the gallery each month. The gallery is booked until 2017 for professional artists. “So to be able to have your artwork in here as a high school student is pretty special,” Garell said.
“People come here all the time and view this art, and whenever I’m here they ask me about it and they’re just amazed by the student artwork in our community,” Wheeler said.
