Twenty-one Grand Forks high school and middle school students have earned prizes in the 2021-22 North Dakota Juried Student Art Show, sponsored by the Taube Museum of Art in Minot.
Their artworks were among 508 pieces entered this spring by students throughout the state.
Jurors selected three pieces for the Governor’s Award; four for the State of the Arts Award, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; four for the Northern Visions Award, sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.; and five for the Congressional Art Award, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D.
Grand Forks was the only school district this year to have entries awarded in each of the categories.
Irene Zeng, Grand Forks Central High School, received a Governor’s Award for her entry “Small Bits” and a Congressional Art Award for “Vivid Growth.”
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Grand Forks Central students Alex Schill received a Congressional Art Award for “The Baller” and Gavin Pihlgren received a Northern Visions Award for “Silver Set.”
Receiving a State of the Arts Award were Grand Forks Central students Erika Tinjum, for “Grandma’s Attic,” and Lowell Miller, for “Nocturn,” and Elroy Schroeder Middle School student Nora Hale, for an untitled piece.
An additional 100 artworks were selected as award winners in a variety of categories and will be included in a traveling exhibit in the upcoming school year.
“Leviathan,” by Lowell Miller, and “Growth,” by Violet Spartz, Valley Middle School students, were selected as Taube Museum of Art award-winners.
Maureen Beier, Grand Forks Central, received a People’s Choice Award for “Cold Coffee Summer.” Valley Middle School students who also received awards were Michelle Goulet, for “Fresh Powder,” and Brooke Beckstead, for “Running Free.”
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The following students were named Traveling Award winners in grades 9-12:
Red River High School students Gabe Birchler, for “George”; Jocelyn Sayre, for “Coyote Strange” and “Extended Reach in a Small World”; Katie Swartz, for “Safe at Home”; and Natalia Tchomakhidze, for “Growth” and “Lost Horizon”; and
Grand Forks Central High School students Jessica Boone, for “A Twisted Dream”; Kenzie Carriere, for “Reimagined”; Caleb Cearley, for “Just Bones and Color”; Kelsey Helmbrecht, for “Three Transparencies”; Lowell Miller, for “Wrinkled”; and Kinsey Martin, for “Happy Accidents.”
The following students were named Traveling Award winners in grades 7 and 8:
Elroy Schroeder Middle School student Nikita Usatii, for “Untitled”; and Valley Middle School students Michelle Goulet, for “Citrus”; and Olivia Syverson, for “Untitled.”
The students’ art instructors are Nancy Greenwood and Kati Larson, Grand Forks Central High School; Betsy Thaden, Red River High School; Bryan Walls, Elroy Schroeder Middle School; and Jillian Westrum, Valley Middle School.
