By Cecilia Bahnson In the midst of a global pandemic, art has proven to be a beautiful form of expression for many students, as well as a great pastime and even a way to earn some extra cash. With more than a full year of relative isolation, there have been countless hours to fill with creative work. And while COVID-19 has been extremely hard on the artists and creators who rely on open showcase venues and small businesses, wild circumstances can often be an incredible source of inspiration. So much stunning art has come out of this pandemic and there should be an accessible way for student artists to share their work with the world, as well as view other artist’s work. Luckily, The Arts Center in Corvallis is preparing several exhibits that will be open either virtually or in person this spring and summer. Arts Center exhibits to look for! Around Oregon Annual Exhibition 2021: This exhibit will showcase selected artwork from artists all over the state of Oregon. It is an excellent opportunity to witness the diversity in Oregon’s contemporary art and get inspired! The exhibit will be up for viewing at The Arts Center from June 24 - August 7, 2021. Arts Alive! 2021: “Arts Alive is a community event focused on sharing the creative experience, including opportunities to share work and create work for both attendees and participating artists.” This is a virtual event featuring guest artists and video mentoring for all who participate. It will be held over ZOOM on August 13 & 14, 2021. What Will Nature Do?: This exhibit will be hosted in collaboration with senior climate change scientist Dr. Dominique Bachelet. Dr. Bachelet, along with several other scientists from around the country, will work with artists to create discussions and presentations around the realities and complexities of climate change. All artwork will be relevant to climate change science or one of the featured guest speaker’s presentations. Artwork will be exhibited from September 30 - November 13, 2021. Lectures and presentations from the featured scientists will be recorded and open to the public. More information about these exhibitions can be found at https://theartscenter.net/ Displaying your own art locally! Putting yourself and your art out there can be scary, but it’s also exciting! No matter how far “out there” you go, every step is an accomplishment. Luckily, Corvallis has an amazing community of artists who are willing to help each other out. The Arts Center is always a great resource for artists of all levels and ages, but there’s more! You have probably seen art displays at coffee shops such as New Morning Bakery and Imagine Coffee. Pretty much every gallery and small business in Corvallis, including coffee shops, is full of local art-- so if you have any interest in expanding your art’s publicity, consider local businesses and cafes! All you need to do is reach out. Coffee shops in particular are great places for budding artists because the space is often free or very cheap with lots of exposure. Cafe owners also benefit from this because the rotation of new art brings in more customers and fosters a creative and cozy environment. Another great way to get your artwork out into the community is through the Benton County Fair, which hosts competitions and exhibits of various categories. As of this spring, information for the 2021 fair is not available, but in the past this venue has been a popular way for high school students and artists of all ages to enter their art and win prizes. And, as always, the Crescent Crier is happy to publish any CVHS student artwork on our website for the rest of the staff and student body to admire! In addition to showcases and exhibitions, there are also art competitions held virtually through several different organizations. Many of these competitions offer scholarships, cash rewards, mentoring, and award nominations to winners and finalists. Receiving formal recognition through one of these contests can make a huge difference on college applications, regardless of what school students are applying to or what they plan to focus on in the future. Notable art competitions to explore in 2021! Celebrate the West Regional Art Competition: Celebrate the West is hosted by the Western Governors Association. High school students are invited to submit any amount of original two-dimensional artwork inspired by their home state. Finalists may receive up to $1,500 and will have the option to meet with the state governor and display their art at their state’s capitol building. This competition does not require an entry fee, and all framing and matting will be provided. The final deadline for submissions is April 30, 2021. Visit https://westgov.org/celebrate-the-west/competition/2021-competition for more info! The Artist Magazine Annual Art Competition: This is an international visual arts competition which invites student artists of 16 years or older to submit their work to one or more of the five offered categories. Categories include portraits and figures; still lifes and interiors; landscapes; abstract and experimental art; and wildlife. Prizes include cash, scholarships, and exposure through publications (winners will have their work published in The Artist Magazine). This competition requires an entry fee of $20 per piece. The final deadline for submissions is June 7, 2021. Visit https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-competitions/artists-magazine-annual/ for more info! Notable art competitions to explore in 2022 (deadlines for 2021 contests have passed)! The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: This competition is a great opportunity for students in grades 7 through 12. The contest will likely be open for entries around September and costs include a $7 fee per entry or a $25 fee per portfolio. Financial assistance is offered. Scholastic Art and Writing judges will be looking for "work that demonstrates originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision." Prizes will include scholarships worth up to $10,000, as well as exhibition and publication opportunities. Visit https://www.artandwriting.org/ for more info! National YoungArts Foundation Competition: The National YoungArts Foundation accepts 15-18 year old visual, literary, and performing artists and musicians. Entries will likely open during the summer, and a $35 application fee is required. Finalists in each category may receive “cash awards, mentorship by accomplished artists, a lifetime of creative and professional support, a peer network of distinguished artists, nomination for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and national recognition.” Visit http://www.youngarts.org/ for more info! No matter your level of skill, any form of art is valuable and anyone can be an artist. The most important thing to do is to make sure that you are creating art for yourself and because you love it, not solely for the purpose of outside recognition or validation. That will come, but first you’ve got to create something expressive, just for yourself! And, as always, have fun with it. Image sources: Photo by Skylar Kang from Pexels; Photo by Miesha Maiden from Pexels Sources: Amiria GaleAmiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Coordinator for seven years. “31 Awesome Art Competitions for High School Students (2021).” STUDENT ART GUIDE, 3 Dec. 2020, www.studentartguide.com/resources/high-school-art-competitions-list “Artists Magazine 38th Annual Art Competition.” Artists Network, Golden Peak Media, 23 Feb. 2021, https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-competitions/artists-magazine-annual/ Kevin. “The Arts Center Corvallis - Local Arts, Crafts, Gifts, Changing Exhibits.” The Arts Center, 2021, https://theartscenter.net/ “National YoungArts Foundation.” Home, 2021, www.youngarts.org/ “Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.” Home | Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, 2020, www.artandwriting.org/ Sundquist, Kate. “Prestigious Visual Arts Competitions for High School Students.” CollegeVine, 4 Mar. 2020, https://blog.collegevine.com/prestigious-visual-arts-competitions-for-high-school-students/ Western Governors Association. “Celebrate The West.” 2021 Competition | WGA, 2021, https://westgov.org/celebrate-the-west/competition/2021-competition If you want to write for the Crescent Crier, we would love to see you at one of our virtual meetings, which are every Wednesday at 1:30pm! To come to a meeting, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/TrQ5PqFcDqeE2yiB9, and we’ll send you a link ASAP. If you would like to submit a single article - or anything else like creative writing, an opinion, an art piece, photo or photo series, or something else entirely - then you can do that using this form: https://forms.gle/WAHSoWJuVwK3q5du6. If you want to contact us for any reason, you can email
[email protected]. Thanks for reading!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |