Five Tri-City United artists and two Le Sueur-Henderson artists are scheduled to have their works shown at the Perpich Center state show after receiving outstanding marks from judges at the Section 2A North Art Festival.
This year’s festival was the largest showing of student creativity in the three years the section tournament has been hosted by Tri-City United High School. Students from seven schools, including TCU, LS-H, Belle Plaine, Glencoe Silver Lake, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, Nicollet and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, submitted a total of 95 works to the art show, which was available for public viewing on Tuesday, April 9.
The Titans ran away with the tournament as student artists Megan Marek, Colin Mechtel, Malayna Martinez, Paige Larson and Edward Devine each received the coveted spotlight ranking from the judges, granting them a place at the Perpich state show on May 11. TCU had more artists qualify for state than any other school.
Marek earned a spot at state for her charcoal drawing of her sister titled, “Something in the Distance.” Clasping her face with both hands, Marek’s sister stares off with an anxious and worried expression. In her artist statement, Marek said she aimed to capture the vulnerability of being young and not knowing what life has in store.
Marek wasn’t the only one to base a piece on a family member. Mechtel’s abstract, kaleidoscopic painting “Jax,” uses a patchwork of shapes, symbols and colors to represent all aspects of the personality of his little cousin of the same name. Colors like yellow and orange stand in for character traits like “joyful” and “sassy” while the incorporation of shapes like hearts capture his cousin’s loving nature.
In her sculpture, “The Willow of Time,” Martinez uses Grandmother Willow from the movie Pochahontas as a basis for capturing the different stages of life. One one side of the mug, the Willow’s aged, tree bark face appears contented while on the other side a younger version of Willow carries a nervous expression, unsure of what the future will bring.
Devine took a more realistic approach with his ceramic piece, “The Flagon.” The student artist wrote that he wanted to make a pot with a rustic, historical look that appeared elegant at the same time. The deep reddish-brown jug is patterned with a green band around the neck and features a long curved handle accentuating the curvature of the spout.
Larson’s digital art piece “The String Weaver,” inspires fear in the viewer with a depiction of a ghoulish marionette cloaked in shadow and webbing like string. With the figure’s hands and spider-like blades outstretched towards the viewer, Larson sought to capture the feeling of having now way out.
In addition to their state qualifiers, the Titans had 14 artists achieve the rank of superior: Anastasia Stasney, Megan Marek, Yasmin Ruiz-Ruiz, Kaleaha McKinney-Arrigoni, Eva Tikalsky, Yasmin Ruiz-Ruiz, Colin Mechtel, Malayna Martinez, Emma Jirk, Jules Rotter, Paige Larson, Halee Gargett, Edward Devine and Ruby Luna. TCU’s Harrison Factor also received an excellent rating.
Cecelia Siepka was one of two Giants to qualify for the state tournament with her painting “Irrational Fear.” The work places the viewer in a house looking out the window to find a skinwalker illuminated by a street lamp in the darkness. Siepka said she branched out of her usual style of straight edges and realism to do a free hand piece which leaned into the terror of the imaginary.
Koreyann Straub will also be representing Le Sueur-Henderson at state with her photograph “Lake Sunsets.” Straub captured the photo while kayaking after she noticed how the water perfectly reflected the sunset against the sky.
Le Sueur-Henderson had eight artists achieve the rank of superior: Sam Geer, Brandy Wolf, Johnna Maxwell, Cecelia Siepka, Madeline Skelley, Kane Hess, Korean Straub and Lauren Hanna-Dyb. In addition, Porter Simonette, Maggie Froelich, Ella Miller, Mason Franta and Phoenix Machtemes all earned the rank of excellent.
Tri-City United Art Teacher Tony Barnack emphasized that the art festival wasn’t just an opportunity for students to compete, but also to learn from the talent of artists at other schools.
“Each school kind of has a different style, so I think that’s good for the students to see other student artists from different schools,” said Barnack. “There’s a comfort in your classroom, but that’s all you see.”
The festival also gave artists a chance to learn from professionals. On Wednesday, April 10, the morning after the public show, TCU invited guest speakers Josh Madson and Helen Bednar to talk with the students about their lives as artists. Madson is a photographer who recently made local headlines for his Mankato Community Collage, and Bednar is a TCU parent and Graphic Communication Instructor at South Central College.
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