WHS art students compete at state

Imagine more than 17,500 works of art being judged across the state of Texas by professional artists and instructors. That is the task undertaken by the Texas Art Education Association every year in February in the Visual Art Scholastic Event.

Students compete in a variety of categories: colored pencil drawing, acrylic painting, mixed media, photography and digital media, to name a few. In the initial judging process students must write about their work and interview with a judge, discussing the work as well as the elements and principals they have manipulated in creating the pieces.

Whitehouse High School took 14 students to competition at Henderson High School. Earning a IV with art instructor Lisa Kendall were Brandi Bankhead (acrylic painting), Austin Cunningham (acrylic painting), Anna Godina (mixed media and photography), Colleen Hughes (mixed media), Jennifer Motes (sculpture and colored pencil drawing), and Jessica Root (acrylic painting and sculpture). Earning a IV with art instructor Christine Killian were Kelsey Bailey (drawing), Casey Booth (graphite drawing and graphic design), Jon Harvell (mixed media and graphic design), Colleen Hughes (photography), Christina Kennemer (color photography and black and white photography), Courtney Lux (photography), Tracey Martin (sculpture and painting), Salomon Ortiz (mixed media and graphic design) and Kaitlin Sanson (black and white and color photography).

Those students whose works score a rating of IV are then judged again and the numbers are narrowed to a mere 10 percent of the original contenders.

Whitehouse High School had the honor of sponsoring five students to the state level who earned a total of six state slots. Securing the state-qualifying positions in Kendall's classes were Cunningham and Motes. In Killian's classes, Sanson and Hughes qualified, with two state positions being earned by Kennemer.

The VASE state competition was recently held at the University of Houston in Clear Lake. Students gather from around the state of Texas for the event that includes the competition, gallery visits and workshops, as well as demonstrations by pro- fessional artists. This year the students visited the Menil Collection and the Houston Center for Photography, viewing works of art they had only previously seen in text books.

Students viewed works by Warhol, van Gogh and Rauschenberg, as well as a photography exhibit from the internationally acclaimed arts and education organization, Foto Fest. For several, it was the first chance to see in person some of the works they have studied during their high school art careers.

All students showed well at the competition, according to Killian, holding fast to the Whitehouse pride so evident in all areas at the high school this year, but one student went beyond her wildest dreams by garnering the coveted Gold Key medallion.

Only 121 students in the entire state were awarded the medallion this year.

Kennemer earned this honor with her colored photography. Her work will remain with TAEA for the next six months and be a part of an exhibit that will travel throughout state. Christina is a junior and will continue in photography with endless possibilities in the next two years.