2017 High School Area Show - Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

The 36th annual High School Area Show features 109 works by 90 artists chosen from a field of 318 entries submitted by artists from 25 schools from Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.

For the fourth year, the exhibition partnered with 6th Congressional District to select a representative in the Congressional Art Competition. Cameron Hoogstraten of Otsego High School, won the honor for her work, Native American Dancer, a digital illustration (shown), which will hang in the U.S. Capitol for a year. Ms. Hoogstraten will also receive round trip airfare for two to Washington, D.C. to see her work on view.

A number of students won more than one honor, and all of the work is on view through June 4 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Each exhibiting artists was awarded a family membership to the KIA through the end of the summer. The exhibition sponsor is AVB.

Awards and scholarships valued at more than $600,000 were given out at the exhibition preview opening reception on April 27, including scholarships to the Cleveland Institute of Art; Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design; Stamps School of Art and Design, University of Michigan; Kendall School of Art and Design, Ferris State University; Gwen Frostic School of Art at Western Michigan University; and the Kirk Newman Art School at the KIA. Representatives from each school presented the scholarships.

KALAMAZOO, MI — The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts held a preview reception for the 36th annual High School Area Show Thursday night. The exhibition opens officially on Saturday, April 29. The 90 exhibiting artists and their families and teachers were invited to attend.

Awards and scholarships valued at more than $600,000 were given out, including scholarships to the Cleveland Institute of Art; Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design; Stamps School of Art and Design, University of Michigan; Kendall School of Art and Design, Ferris State University; Gwen Frostic School of Art at Western Michigan University; and the Kirk Newman Art School at the KIA. Representatives from each school presented the scholarships.

This year’s juror was Julie W. Tourtillotte, Professor of Art at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. She chose 109 works by 90 artists, from a field of 318 entries submitted by artists from 25 schools from Allegan, Berrien, Branch, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.

“The high quality of the submissions required me to make difficult decisions, so I congratulate each of the student artists who are included,” she says. “The works were selected for their originality, conceptual strength and technical quality. I was impressed not only by the caliber of the artwork but by the range of media, subjects and ideas explored. Time and again I found myself entranced by the students’ sophistication in the manipulation and understanding of their medium. Some of the strongest works clearly show the artists expressing their own personal vision and engaging ideas of social, cultural and political importance.”

Juror’s Award, $100 cash awards to:
Eli Hart, Portage Northern High School
Erica Heathcote, Saint Joseph High School
Ashton Ingles, Wayland Union High School
Erin Kirkpatrick, Kalamazoo Central High School
Willa Kuttner, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School
Alexandra Ziebarth, Water Street Glassworks

Juror’s Honorable Mention awards to:
Taylor Bell, Schoolcraft High School
Sarah Brabon, Vicksburg High School
Bella Chadwick, Portage Northern High School
Evangeline Contreras, Van Buren Technology Center
Jaymie Daniel Gapayao, Vicksburg High School
Anthony Fund, Three Rivers High School
Samuel Gonzales, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School
Amelia Hansen, Portage Northern High School
Cameron Hansen, Kirk Newman Art School
Cameron Hoogstraten, Otsego High School
Madeline Jump, Portage Central High School
Nchuyekeh Mba, Portgae Northern High School
Malaynah Leach, Vicksburg High School
Madison McAllister, Portage Central High School
Lili Mead, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School
Hanna Norland, Saint Joseph High School
Haley Rich, Saint Joseph High School
Emily Roth, Saint Joseph High School
Courtney Shinaberry, Saint Joseph High School
Samantha Veltrie, Three Rivers High School
Chelsea Whelham, Portage Central High School

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNERS
Representatives from each school selected their respective scholarship winners

Cleveland Institute of Art awarded pre-college summer program scholarships to:
Makala Carr, Centreville High School
Emma Neuser, Saint Joseph High School
Alexandra Ziebarth, Water Street Glassworks

Cleveland Institute of Art awarded four-year scholarships to:
Amelia Hansen, Portage Northern High School
Malaynah Leach, Vicksburg High School
Sarah Wheaton, Paw Paw High School

Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University awarded Portfolio Camp scholarships to:
Makala Carr, Centreville High School
Cameron Hoogstraten, Otsego High School
Emma Neuser, Saint Joseph High School
Kendra Eaton, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School
Lili Mead, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School (work shown at top)
Malaynah Leach, Vicksburg High School
Amelia Hansen, Portage Northern High School
Haley Rich, Saint Joseph High School
Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University awarded Seniors for $cholarship awards to:
Evangeline Contreras, Van Buren Tech Center
Jaymie Daniel Gapayao, Vicksburg High School
Ashton Ingles, Wayland Union High School
Eli Hart, Portage Northern High School
Maggie Palmiter, Watervliet High School

Gwen Frostic School of Art, Western Michigan University awarded four-year scholarships to:
Kendra Eaton, Loy Norrix HS
Chelsea Whelham, Portage Central HS
Emma Neuser, St. Joseph HS
Amelia Hansen, Portage Northern HS
Alexandria Seybold, Portage Northern HS
Madison McAllister, Portage Central HS

Stamps School of Art and Design, University of Michigan awarded a BFA Preview pre-college scholarship to:
Kendra Eaton, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School

Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design awarded
Full Ride Scholarship Award to Erica Heathcote, Saint Joseph High School
Presidential Scholarship Award to Hanna Norland, Saint Joseph High School
BFA Admissions Scholarship Awards to
Emily Roth, Saint Joseph High School
Haley Rich, Saint Joseph High School
Amelia Hansen, Portage Northern High School
Sarah Wheaton, Paw Paw High School

Kirk Newman Art School at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts awarded scholarships for a summer class to:
Erin Kirkpatrick, Kalamazoo Central High School
Chelsea Whelham, Portage Central High School
Samantha Veltrie, Three Rivers High School
Sierra Stevens, Vicksburg High School
Ashton Ingles, Wayland Union High School

The KIA also wishes to thank the school districts and art teachers that nurtured the student artists:
Julie Beam, St. Joseph High School
Sarah Bentley, Paw Paw High School
Rebecca Carter, Kalamazoo Central High School
Matt Culver, St. Joseph High School
Holly Davis, Stevensville Lakeshore High School
Matthew Douglas, Kalamazoo Central High School
Ashley Eby, Three Rivers High School
Trevor Grabill, KIA Kirk Newman Art School
Matthew Grile, Otsego High School
Scott Gundersen, Wayland Union High School
Jaime Hilaski, Schoolcraft High School
Elizabeth Honeysett, Portage Central High School
Marcella Hunt, Watervliet High School
Joseph King, Portage Central High School
Anthony Lindeman, Vicksburg High School
Sarah Nott, Portage Northern High School
Sarah Parr, KIA Kirk Newman Art School
Krista Ragotzy, Vicksburg High School
Ashley Rolfe, Centreville High School
Lisa Rostar, South Haven public school
Veronica Schaner, Hackett Catholic Prep
Gregg Stevens, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School
Harry Sykora, Kalamazoo Central High School
Michael VanderWaal, Water Street Glassworks
Cindy Van Lieu, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School
Ben Weathers, Mattawan High School
Kimberly Wood, Van Buren Technology Center
Jule Zaroff, Berrien Springs Home School Partnership