Students from 10 area high schools and colleges received awards in the 37th annual Central Texas Art Competition.
Nearly 500 entries were submitted for the competition, which is coordinated by the Temple College Visual Arts Department. Works accepted for the competition included original paintings, pen and ink, photography, ceramics, sculpture, drawings, prints and jewelry. The juror for the competition was Susi Brister, who is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Visual Studies at St. Edward’s University in Austin.
The competition offered a total of $2,100 in cash prizes to the student artists. In the college division, the $200 Best of Show Award went to Jessica Nolt of Central Texas College for her ceramic piece titled “Pandora’s Box.” In the high school division, the Best of Show Award went to Conan Gray of Georgetown High School for his Prismacolor piece titled “A Star for You.”
Six $125 Awards of Excellence were presented in each division. In the college division, these awards went to Isaac Barnhill (University of Mary Hardin-Baylor) for a photo titled “Virginia, March 28,” Kayla Freeman (Central Texas College) for a silver piece titled “Beetle Wing Necklace,” Elena Gonzales (Southwestern University) for a mixed media piece titled “Gem Study,” Berry Rodriguez (Central Texas College) for a silver piece titled “Hollow,” Stephen Steger (Temple College) for a photo titled “Troubled Waters” and Keri Tucker (Temple College) for an acrylic piece titled “Child of the Impossible.”
Honorable Mention Awards of $50 were given to Morgan Goodman of Temple College for a ceramics piece titled “Pierce” and to Lisha Guzman of Temple College for an untitled photo.
In the high school division, Awards of Excellence were given to Jacklyn Baez (Georgetown High School) for a pastel titled “Emily,” Sereina Caster (Belton High School) for a mixed media piece titled “Ears for Eyes,” Christian Herrera (Hutto High School) for a painting titled “It’s In There,” Solphie Molnar (East View High School) for a painting titled “Still Life,” Rieley Moeller (Georgetown High School) for a photo titled “Divine Feminine” and Dana Preuss (Thorndale High School) for a pastel titled “Falling Eyes.”
Honorable Mention Awards of $50 were given to E.J. Adams (East View High School) for a photo titled “Visitor” and to Skylar Courtney (Georgetown High School) for a for a marker piece titled “Undone.”
Of the 480 works submitted for the competition, 169 were selected for an exhibition that will be on display in the gallery of the Temple College Visual Arts Complex at 2105 South 5th St. in Temple through Dec. 1. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday or by appointment. Temple College will be closed for Thanksgiving Nov. 23-25.
The Central Texas Art Competition and Exhibition is sponsored by Altrusa International of Temple and the Temple South Rotary Club. It is one of the longest-running art competitions in Texas.