91传媒

Eastern Oregon Regional High School Art Exhibition Honors Talent and Educators

Eastern Oregon Regional High School Art Exhibition Honors Talent and Educators

La GRANDE, Ore. 鈥揟he Eastern Oregon Regional High School Art Exhibition featuring 200 works by students from 14 regional high schools opened Friday, Feb. 23. 

Nathan Lowe, Dean of 91传媒鈥檚 College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences gave a brief welcome to visitors, and Nightingale Gallery Director Cory Peeke presented awards. The 91传媒 Art Department and Nightingale Gallery would like to congratulate the following award winners from this year鈥檚 exhibition and recognize the hardworking educators who make it all possible.  

Awards were presented for exemplary work by students in grades 9-12. All Best of Show winners received an award certificate, a $50 Dick Blick Art Supply gift card, and a sketchbook from the 91传媒 Art Department as well as an 91传媒 t-shirt, and other 91传媒 swag compliments from the Office of Admissions. Honorable Mention recipients received a certificate of award.

Best of Show 12^th Grade:

Alsea Morton (La Grande High School) for their watercolor painting 鈥淒awn Chorus鈥� 

Best of Show 11^th Grade:    

Emily Martinez (Burns High School) for their painting 鈥淩esign鈥� and their drawing 鈥淲elcome & Goodbye鈥�

Best of Show 10^th Grade:    

Kegan Bott (Baker High School) for their painting 鈥淥ld One鈥�

Best of Show 9th Grade:

Brittain Combs (Powder Valley High) for their painting 鈥淒arth Vader鈥�

Honorable Mentions included:

Baker City High School: 

Rebecca Craigmile, 11^th grade, for their ceramic sculpture 鈥淢orel鈥� 

Gracie Spike, 10^th grade, for their ceramic sculpture 鈥淨ueen Bee鈥� 

Dasha Varianska, 12^th grade, for their ceramic sculpture 鈥淎tlantis Dancer鈥� 

Meadoh Wardrop, 12^th grade, for their painting 鈥淪till Life with Plant鈥� 

Elgin High School: 

Zach Bergman, 10^th grade, for their ceramic sculpture 鈥淛ackson鈥�

Amber George, 11^th grade, for their ceramic sculpture 鈥淗ome鈥�

La Grande High School: 

Grayson Helmer, 11^th grade, for their painting 鈥淢alignant Daydreams of Entropic Nature鈥�

Pendleton High School: 

Paige Erickson, 12^th grade, for their photograph 鈥淢op鈥�

Powder Valley High School: 

Bella Brandt, 10^th grade, for their photograph 鈥淪uspended鈥� 

Jaydyn Dyke, 11^th grade, for their painted sculpture 鈥淔olk Art Bowl鈥�

For the 16th year, the La Grande Arts Commission presented two awards to students from La Grande High. Their 鈥淏est of Show-La Grande High Award鈥� went to Grayson Helmer for their painting 鈥淢isanthroapologist.鈥� Their 鈥淛udges Choice Award鈥� went to Griffin Gorham for their sculpture 鈥淢etal Tentacle Frame.鈥� The LGAC award winners were selected and presented by La Grande Arts Commissioner Taylor Scroggins. Their Best of Show Award comes with a gift basket worth $200 and the Judges Choice Award comes with a gift basket worth $100.

Four regional art centers joined the La Grande Arts Commission in presenting special awards. Art Center East presented an 鈥淓xcellence in the Arts-Union County鈥� award to Hadlee Wallace, a 10th-grade student from Union High School for their ceramic sculpture 鈥淗eart,鈥� and an 鈥淓xcellence in the Arts-Harney County鈥� award to Emily Martinez, an 11th-grade student, from Burns High School for their painting 鈥淩esign.鈥� Each award comes with an ACE miniature collage kit. 

Baker County鈥檚 Crossroads Carnegie Art Center awarded a $50 award. Their 鈥淥utstanding Baker High School Student Award鈥� went to 10th-grade student Meren Jesenko for their ceramic sculpture 鈥淣o Ties.鈥� Pendleton Center for the Arts presented a $100 鈥淧CA Promise Award.鈥� to Pendleton High School 11th-grade student Atlas Garcia for their mixed media drawing 鈥淏ody.鈥� And the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture presented the 鈥淲allowa County High School Art Merit Award鈥� in the form of a $50 Dick Blick gift card to Abigail Dundas of Joseph for their drawing 鈥�16,543,185.鈥�

Art Center East鈥檚 award was selected by Jennifer Durr, ACE Gallery Director, and presented by ACE Board President Mary Horn. Crossroads Carnegie Art Center鈥檚 award winner was selected by the 91传媒 Art faculty and presented by Cory Peeke on behalf of Crossroads Executive Director Ginger Savage. The Pendleton Center for the Arts award was selected by PCA Executive Director Roberta Lavadour and The Josephy Center award was also selected by 91传媒 Art faculty and both were presented by Cory Peeke.

Check out the winning artists鈥� works on the Nightingale鈥檚 account.

鈥淥n behalf of the 91传媒 Art Department and the Nightingale Gallery I would like to congratulate the winners and all the students with work on view,鈥� Nightingale Gallery Director Cory Peeke said. 鈥淚 would also like to congratulate the art teachers who go above and beyond to make this event the success it is each year.鈥� The following is a list of those area teachers.

Baker City High School – Holly Coleman

Burns High School – Emily Kokesh

Cove High School – Eric Gustavson

Echo High School – Rick Thew

Elgin High School – BethWasley

Enterprise High Schools – Dianne Pfel
Joseph Charter School – Jennifer Hawkins
La Grande High School – Rich McIlmoil

McLoughlin High School (Milton-Freewater) – Marianne Smith

Monument High School – Erica Cade 

Pendleton High School – Abby Prevot

Powder Valley High School – Jessie Street
Union High School – Jaime Gustavson

Grant Union High School -JJ Collier

The 2024 Eastern Oregon Regional High School Exhibition runs through March 15. The Nightingale Gallery is located in Loso Hall on the campus of 91传媒 in La Grande, OR.聽 Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m to 4 p.m.