Artwork by three Westerville South seniors has been selected for the highly competitive Ohio Governors Youth Art Exhibition. This competition, now in its 49th year, is dedicated to providing budding young artists with opportunities to advance their talent. Students have an opportunity to receive scholarships from Ohio colleges and universities, as well as experiencing entering and exhibiting in a very professional setting.
An acrylic painting by Simon Chaney was selected at the State Level and will be exhibited in the State Office Tower. This exhibition opens at the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower in April, and closes at the end of May. At the exhibition opening, pupils will receive Awards of Excellence and scholarships.
A sculpture by Olivia Musser and a mixed-media piece by Desiree Cannon were chosen for the Regional Exhibition at the McConnell Arts Center, located at 777 Evening Street in Worthington, from March 21 to May12. An awards reception for that show will be held on Sunday, April 7, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
The process of selecting artworks for the state exhibition begins on a regional level. The state is divided into 15 regional locations, with high school students in each region invited to enter work in that regional judging. Each region has a designated Regional Director, who is responsible for choosing the judges for his or her region and arranging specifics of the event.
The state judging takes place in Columbus; however, the judges for this level of competition are chosen from all over the country and are generally professional artists, college level instructors, or both.
From the 11,500 regional entries from the 15 regions, approximately 2,500 are selected to enter the state judging. State jurors then select 300 for the actual exhibition, with 25 of the 300 chosen to receive the Governor’s Award of Excellence. Scholarships are offered to seniors by some 30 universities and colleges of art. The selection of students who will be offered scholarships is left strictly up to those institutions who offer them. The Governor’s Exhibition is merely a vehicle through which schools and students are brought together.