More than 100 University Laboratory School (ULS) students in grades seven through twelve participated in the 2017 Hawai‘i Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition. With entries representing all disciplines of the ULS art program, 14 of their pieces were selected in the very competitive statewide event. Part of the National Scholastic Art Exhibition, the regional awards program is the largest, longest-running, and most prestigious student recognition program in the United States.
ULS staff and students continue to produce exceptional, award-winning art despite new challenges set forth by the national program. The submission date for the exhibit was moved up a month earlier than in previous years. And, the recent transition to online submissions requires an additional digital component for each entry, which is the responsibility of the art teachers regardless of technology resources or experience.
“Because of the entry format, art teachers need to also have tech skills to be competitive as well as to document artwork to validate their programs,” explained ULS Visual Arts Teacher Douglas Doi. “We have been very fortunate again this year. Our numbers for the show are good, and the overall quality of the work entered is outstanding.”
The nominee for American Visions, which is the top award, is 10th grader Shayden Augustus for his jewelry piece titled Hope Floats. There are five Gold Key award winners who were selected to represent Hawai‘i in the national competition as well as eight Silver Key award winners selected for the local exhibit. The variety of forms and media the students used includes jewelry, fashion, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, and ceramics. Their work will be on exhibit at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum from February 25 through April 7, 2017.
