The Fort Kearny Conference hosted its Conference Art Competition in early February. Coinciding with the FKC annual basketball tournament, the art exhibition travels to various sites around the area. This year the University of Nebraska – Kearney played host to the competition.
According to Litchfield High School Art Instructor Allison Varah, the changing venue and limited number of pieces each school is allowed to submit creates a challenge to make sure the right pieces are selected for the show.
“We’ve been at the Viero Center, we’ve been at Kearney High and now this year it was at UNK, but we are only able to take five works of art From the entire school and that is the hardest part,” said Varah. “So Litchfield took two ceramics one sculpture and two 2d miscellaneous.”
Area schools did well at the competition however, with SEM’s Kadence Griffith taking the Best in Show, Ansley’s Addie Gibbons placing first in 3d Sculpture and Litchfield’s Malynn Boyles placing first in ceramics.
This is Griffith’s second Best of Show placing at the competition.
SEM instructor James Beavers said, “Four students were selected to participate in the FKC Art Show, and I could not be more proud of their accomplishments.”
Griffith entered two pieces in the contest this year, placing with both. Beavers called Griffith’s second Best of Show showing, along with a separate second-place finish in painting this year, “an incredible achievement.”
When asked about how the pieces were chosen to submit Varah noted, “I want to take the stuff that’s going to compete – that I know the other art teachers are going to see as kind of next level pieces. Some years I’ve set up a whole room of like, ‘here’s my top contenders’, and had the whole school go through a vote and some years I just go, ‘This one has a great chance’.”
The Ceramics winner, Litchfield’s Boyles, described her piece, a light green ceramic couch, as taking something ordinary and turning it into something playful through clay and glaze.
“To me, this piece represents the comfort of home and those small, relatable moments we all have,” said Boyles. “I put a lot of effort into the details of the clay and the specific colors of the glaze, so seeing that blue ribbon felt like all that time in the art room really paid off. Having it recognized at conference during my senior year makes it even more special.”
Area students placing at the FKC Art Contest were:
Best of Show – Kadence Griffith, SEM, “Caroline” Painting
1st 3d Sculpture – Addie Gibbons, Ansley, “Haliaeetus leucocephalus”
1st Ceramics – Malynn Boyles, Litchfield, “Where’s the Remote?”
2nd Painting – Kadence Griffith, SEM, “Two Hearts One Stream”
2nd 3d Sculpture – Wesley Fowler, Litchfield, “The Forgotten Box Turtle”
2nd Ceramics – Chayton Jensen, Ansley, “Sea Dwelling”
3rd 2d Miscellaneous – Jori McNeil, Litchfield, “Shattered Pieces Still Shine”
Honorable Mentions
Aiden Burns, Ansley, “Parker”
Ava Paitz, Litchfield, “Waving Patriotism”
Autumn Davis, SEM, “The Passage of Time”
