LHS Artist Earns Regional Best In Show
Lakewood High art students fared extremely well in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition regional competition, led by senior Rachael Parks whose painting “Subway Blues” won Best in Show.
Judges received 1,500 entries from high school students across Northeast Ohio and from those, 300 were selected to move on to state-level judging to determine which pieces of art will hang in the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus during the months of April and May.
In addition to Parks’ work, the artwork of 14 other LHS students was chosen to move on to state judging next week. Senior Kaitlin Stanaitis’ print “Marzipan” was selected among the Top 25 best pieces in the show. Several students had multiple pieces move on to Columbus. Senior Madeline Litkowski has four pieces advancing, Stanaitis has two and senior Cooper Robar has two moving on.
“I am thrilled with our showing,” said LHS Art Department teacher and facilitator Amy Sedlak. “We’ve never had a Best in Show before.”
From 12,000 regional entries from 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 over 30 universities and colleges of art.
The Ohio Governor's Youth Art Exhibition, now in its 45th year, is open to all of Ohio's 1,112 high schools, both public and private. Its purpose is to provide all budding young artists of the state with opportunities to advance their talent, whether that be through scholarships or simply experiencing the process of entering their work in a competition.