Teens’ artwork to appear in Emerging Insights juried show
FERGUS – Young artists were celebrated at Centre Wellington District High School (CWDHS) on May 7.
The high school opened its doors to the public for two art shows and a live Battle of the Brushes competition.
One of the shows, Excellence in Visual Arts, included 114 pieces from students across seven Upper Grand District School Board high schools vying to be included in the Emerging Insights juried exhibition of fine arts at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
Local artists Eric Montgomery and Phil Irish spent May 5 combing through the artwork to select 26 pieces to include in Emerging Insights, which will be on display from May 28 to Sept. 30.
It will be the second year the museum has hosted the show, presented by the Elora Fergus Arts Council, and Montgomery said the museum has been so impressed by the calibre of work from the students that the show will have more space next year in order to include more art.
Montgomery said he was “blown away by the (students’) courage, focus and talent.”
Irish praised the students for sharing their art publicly: “It really is worth taking that step through the fear to shape the world” with their art, he said.
An opening reception and awards presentation for Emerging Insights will take place on May 28 from 7pm to 9pm.
The event at the high school also included a Spring Art Show showcasing a range of artwork created by CWDHS students.
CWDHS student Emily Paul’s Pop Goes the Pontiac, below, and Back for Seconds, left, were selected for the juried show.Paul said the latter “explores the devastating impact of overconsumption and corporate greed,” with the large hands and forks representing “powerful organizations feeding on the planet for profit” and the child representing Paul’s generation, “inheriting a depleted world, yet holding the vital responsibility to reshape how we treat our home.”
The Battle of the Brushes competition included three 20-minute rounds of live painting, with attendees voting on their favourite pieces.
Six students made it to the final round: Ava Noorlander, Isla Main and Paige Ciancone, from CWDHS, Olivia Des Jardine from Norwell District Secondary School in Palmerston, Kaylee Aikins from Centre Dufferin District High School and Vanessa Van Wyk from John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph.
Noorlander won overall, which means she brought home half of the $600 raised in a silent auction of the students’ art, and she selected Cats Anonymous in Arthur to donate the other half to.
