The Harlin Museum of West Plains, MO is set to host its annual Annual High School Art Show & Young Artist Showcase and is calling for art submissions from all regional public, private, and home-schooled student artists in the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades.
Entry dates for the show’s competition will be Friday, February 3rd, and Saturday, February 4th from 12 pm – 4 pm at the museum.
Entry fees are $5.00 per piece. Guidelines for the competition can be found HERE.
The Young Artists Showcase is open to any artist 8th-grade-age or younger and allows younger artists to experience seeing their art on display in a professional gallery setting. Entries to the Young Artist Showcase are free; entry dates are the same as those for the high school competition.
The 2023 show will be displayed to the public in the museum’s Hathcock Gallery, February 10th – March 5th.
Larry Lindeman, Harlin Museum Board Member, accepting a $550 donation for the Harlin Museum’s High School Art Show from Mega Motorsports General Manager, Luke Stokes, and other members of the Mega Motorsports team
As one of the few annual student art events that were able to continue as scheduled during
pandemic precautions, the Harlin Museum’s 2021 High School Art Show has been a bright spot in the school
year of many local area art students. After a year unlike any other our communities have ever experienced,
this taste of the familiar became both a welcome opportunity for students to shine and a generous example of
how prioritizing support for local community programs, like those offered at the Harlin, can make all the difference during these difficult times to help us all move forward.
This year’s show overcame several odds before making its way to the gallery walls. To begin with, many area art teachers were originally going to forgo entry this year—as budget cuts had drastically affected their departments and many students could not afford to frame their entry pieces themselves—until the decision was made by museum staff to relax the guidelines for entry to the show in favor of inclusiveness.
“It’s more important that students get the opportunity to participate in the show—to have the experience of seeing their artwork on display and allowing others to enjoy it—than for the gallery to be filled with perfectly framed pieces. The point of the High School Show is to show appreciation for the art and the artists that create it and to encourage the students to express themselves creatively. With all the challenges we’ve faced in the past year, both individually and as a community, we knew that there was a lot of growth happening, and that the artistically inclined of us out there would be expressing ourselves by way of our art—and that those pieces would be special,” said Vicki Warren-Martin, president of the museum’s board of directors, “and we were right. The pieces in this show were some of the most creative we have ever displayed, and many of them touch on current events. The High School Show never disappoints. It’s always sharp and expressive and full of creativity. These kids have amazing talent and our schools have some stand-out teachers. We were thrilled to be able to make it happen and give everyone a chance to share that talent with the public.”
So, by relaxing guidelines and allowing unframed pieces to be entered for competition, while also offering free frames to any student or teacher that wanted some from the museum’s available selection, students from six area schools were able to enter their art pieces for the competition. With a total of 72 entries between 2 divisions, the show features art from students at West Plains High School, Thayer High School, Mountain Grove High School, Mtn. View/Birch Tree/Liberty High School, Willow Springs High School, and Koshkonong High School.
Each piece was judged using a points-based system, giving a score out of a total possible 200 for the four areas of design & composition, technique/skill of construction, presentation, and creativity & originality. The two judges for this year’s competition were former WPHS art teacher, Rhonda Richter, and former president of the WP Artist Guild, Angela Bullard, both of whom are currently practicing artists.
The other issue that posed a problem for the show was one of funding. The museum, which is a volunteer-run non-profit, experienced a rather difficult year in 2020 that included an extended closure which cost them hundreds in donated funds. Each competition art show is expected to offer prize money to place winners, which can easily cost upwards of $500 per show, and the Harlin’s operating budget fluctuates from donation to donation, making it an almost constant requirement for museum staff to be fundraising and seeking sponsorships. But, at a time when so many people are in need, it can be difficult to find people who are willing and able to give back.
Warren-Martin commented on the critical situation facing arts institutions across the country, including their own
“If it were not for the generosity of our sponsor for the high school show there would not have even been a show this year. While there are some great opportunities in grant funding for institutions like ours, there is also a great deal of competition for that money and not nearly enough of it to go around. Add to that the expenses of simply keeping the doors open in a place like this—especially if you are dealing with older buildings or antiquated systems that constantly require repairs—and it goes downhill fast. A lot of your smaller, local museums are being forced to close because they cannot cover their losses from the past year of upheaval—the obstacles are just too great. And with every museum or gallery that closes, it’s another loss to communities that don’t have a lot left to lose. Collections are being sold to pay debts—and history is being lost. But, luckily, the Ozarks is the type of place that looks after their own. We’ve truly been fortunate. We’ve had local patrons and business owners step up and reinvest in their community by supporting us, and, in doing so, they’ve invested in our mutual future and we’re just so grateful for it.”
It was the generosity of West Plains local business, Mega Motorsports, that came to the rescue of the museum (and the hopeful students entering the show) to help defray show costs, covering prize amounts for all 26 places awarded during the show, including Best of Show, 3 Judge’s Awards of Distinction, and 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place in 5 separate categories, making for a truly special and memorable event for all involved and giving seniors a final highlight to look back on with pride.
The winning entries of Harlin’s 2021 High School Art Show are as follows:
Best of Show – The Arabian Mona Lisa – R. Nicole Coats – West Plains High School
2D Division
Drawings
1st – A Walk Without You – Li Burkhardt – Mtn. View/Birch Tree/Liberty High School
2nd – Empty Mind – Rachel Burke – West Plains High School
3rd – Deep Gaze – Megan Broos – Mtn. Grove High School
Honorable Mentions
Felix Kjellberg -Alyssa Harrington -Mtn. Grove High School
Man’s Best Friend – Lydia Davis – Mtn. View/Birch Tree/Liberty High School
Paintings
1st – Capri – Skyler Todd – Thayer High School
2nd – Nightwalk – Alyssa Harrington – Mtn. Grove High School
3rd – Strawberry Jam – Conner Quimby – Conner Quimby – West Plains High School
Honorable Mentions
The Light in Her Eyes – Li Burkhardt – Mtn. View/Birch Tree/Liberty High School
Kenna – Katlynn Ritchie – Mtn. Grove High School
Mixed Media
1st – Expression Bird – Dezarie Davis – Thayer High School
2nd – The 60’s – Rachel Burke – West Plains High School
3rd – UTV – Dezarie Davis – Thayer High School
Honorable Mention
Untitled #1 by S. Caldwell – Skyla Caldwell – Thayer High School
3D Division
Sculpture
1st – Silent Smile – Justice Dawe – West Plains High School
2nd – Punizione’della Nature – Rachel Burke – West Plains High School
3rd – A Cracked Rose – Natalie Wiehe – West Plains High School
Honorable Mentions
Jim Carrey Mask – Teagan Phelps – Thayer High School
Sunflower Morning Coffee – Courtney Crivello – Thayer High School
Textiles
1st – Star Shopping – Skyler Todd – Thayer High School
2nd – Kaw Kaw – Skyla Caldwell – Thayer High School
3rd – Happy Daze – Teagan Phelps – Thayer High School
Judges Awards of Distinction
Silent Smile – Justice Dawe – West Plains High School
Capri – Skyler Todd – Thayer High School
Felix Kjellberg – Alyssa Harrington – Mtn. Grove High School
The Harlin’s 2021 High School Art Show is on display in the museum’s Hathcock Gallery until March 4th, at 3 pm. The museum is located at 405 Worcester, West Plains, MO 65775, about a block southwest of West Plains’ downtown Court Square. Those who are interested in becoming a sponsor for museum events can contact Vicki Warren-Martin directly at or may phone the museum at (417) 256-7801.
The Harlin Museum of West Plains, MO is set to host it’s annual High School Art Show & Young Artist Showcase and is calling for art submissions from all regional public, private, and home-schooled student artists in the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades. Entry dates for the show’s competition will be Friday, March 12th, and Saturday, March 13th from 12 pm-4 pm at the museum. Entry fees are $5.00 per piece. Late entries will be accepted on Sunday, March 14th, 2021 (12 pm – 4 pm) for an additional $5.00 fee per entry piece. Guidelines for competition can be found HERE.
The Young Artists Showcase is open to any artist 8th-grade-age or younger and allows younger artists to experience seeing their art on display in a professional art show. Entries to the showcase are free to enter; entry dates are the same as those for the high school competition.
The show will be on display to the public in the museum’s Hathcock Gallery, March 12th – April 4th, 2021.
The Harlin Museum Board of Directors announces the upcoming entry dates for their 2020 High School Art Show Competition as being this Friday, February 7th (12 pm – 6 pm) and Saturday, February 8th (12 pm – 4 pm). In addition to these regular entry dates, the board will be allowing late entries on Sunday, February 9th (12 pm – 4 pm) for an additional entry fee of $5.00 per entry piece.
The competition, which is open to all public, private, and home-schooled high school students of the Southern Missouri & Northern Arkansas Ozarks region, limits 2 pieces of artwork per artist with an entry fee of $5.00 per entry. Prizes for Best of Show and 1st, 2nd, & 3rd places, plus Honorable Mentions, will be awarded in each category, along with prize money amounts; categories will be determined by the types of entries received. An Artists’ Reception will be held on February 29 from 5 pm-7 pm with food, drinks, and music during which awards will be handed out. All friends, family, and the public at large are invited to attend.
Artists can find guidelines for the competition at HERE or at the museum. All entries will need to be brought to the museum on one of the entry dates and artists will need to fill out an entry form in order to be eligible for prizes.
In conjunction with the High School Show, the museum board will also be hosting the Young Artist Showcase for artists younger than high school age. Parents/teachers/guardians may bring their young artist’s work to the museum for the display on any of the High School Show entry dates. There are no content/size guidelines or framing requirements for the showcase; these pieces will not be part of the competition portion of the show and will not be awarded prizes, however, certain pieces may be chosen for the honor of becoming fundraising postcards for the museum’s gift shop (with permission of the artist/artist’s guardian).
The Harlin’s Annual High School Art Show Competition & Young Artist Showcase will be on display in the Hathcock Gallery from February 13 – March 1st.
For more information, please contact the Museum Desk at (417) 256-7801 or follow the link above to the competition guideline page for Points of Contact info (at the bottom of the guideline page).
Winners from left to right: Amy Copen, Andrew Holden, Sarah Lyn Wilson, Leslie Myrick, & Eric Lee Rudolph
We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
If February’s High School Art Show at the Harlin Museum was any indication of the capability of today’s youth to take art to the next level, we would say that the future is definitely something worth looking forward to! Students from Southern Missouri area high schools entered the best of their recent work to the museum’s annual competition show, filling the gallery with professional-quality graphite sketches, white & black charcoal and scratch art masterpieces, colorfully diverse acrylics, and inventive three-dimensional pieces of both sculpture and yarn craft.
Students from West Plains High School, Cabool High School, Liberty High School, Thayer High School, and even a few who home-school, participated in the competition show, earning ribbons and monetary prizes for Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, and also several honorable mentions. For many of the students, this was their first competitive show and they drew their inspiration from a variety of sources, including nature, sports, television & film media, fantasy, celebrity; and the human form. However, one source seemed to truly be at the heart of their inspiration, encouraging them to hone their artistic skills and supporting their decision to enter the competition — their art teachers. The teachers of these students played an integral part in the experience, with many going out of their way to assist the students by accompanying them to the museum to both enter their art and to receive their awards, by showing them the ropes of proper art presentation by providing frames and aiding them in attaching picture wire for proper gallery hanging, and by celebrating and sharing their successes via social media.
The Harlin Museum’s High School Art Show Best of Show winner is Andrew Holden, a senior at Liberty Senior High School in Mtn. View, MissouriThe Best of Show winner, graphite pencil drawing titled, “Yee Haw”
The Best of Show award went to a Liberty Senior High School senior, Andrew Holden, for his graphite pencil drawing titled, “Yee Haw,” a portrait of a rodeo barrel racer in action atop his horse. The caliber of Andrew’s skill is so fantastic that many thought the drawing was actuallya black & white photograph. Other winners included:
1st Place winners:
“Moon Eyes” (Mixed Medium) by Madison Newton of West Plains Senior High School
“Cosmic Garden” (Mixed Medium) by Leslie Myrick of West Plains Senior High School
“White Iverson” (White Charcoal) by Sarah Lyn Wilson of Liberty High School
2nd Place winners:
“Lost Time” (Scratch Art) by Sarah Lyn Wilson of Liberty High School
“Self-Titled” (Mixed Medium) by Skyla Caldwell of Thayer High School
“The Sixties” (Ink Markers) by Gauge Jacobs of West Plains Senior High School
3rd Place winners:
“A Native Outlook on Modern Life” (Acrylic Paint) by Adriana Tharp of Thayer High School
“Daddy’s Hat” (Graphite Pencil) by Rebecca Brinkerhoff of Heritage Home School
“Ruth Ann” (Acrylic Paint) by Home School student Cassie Jankowski
And Honorable Mention winners include:
“Body Language” (Colored Pencil) by Eric Lee Rudolph of Liberty Senior High School
“Gourd On” (Clay) by /Madison Donnaley of Cabool High School
“On the Streets of Scotland” (Acrylic Paint) by Home-Schooled student Cassie Jankowski
“LightningStrikes” (Acrylic Paint) by Emily Wood of Thayer High School
“Mind” (Colored Pencil) by Aspen Burton of Thayer High School
“Debbie” (Colored Pencil) by Emily Wood of Thayer High School
“Strong Love” (Charcoal) by Caitlyn Basham of Liberty Senior High School
“Fishy Face” (Graphite Pencil) by Amy Copen of Liberty Senior High School (which also won the People’s Choice Award)
Other entries from area students included:
“Arionna” (Graphite Pencil) by Ashley Neagle, “Letter A” (Tempera) by Jackie Mayo, “Self-Portrait” (Graphite Pencil) by Nicole Coats, “Reflections” (Watercolor) by Madison Newton, “Blake Lively” (Mixed Medium) by Hannah Collins, and “Dad” (Mixed Medium) by Kendra Collins, all of West Plains Senior High School. (pictured in listed order below)
“Kraken” (Yarn) by Madison Forseca of Cabool High School (pictured below)
“Three Stooges” (B&W Charcoal) by Amy Copen, “Emotionless” (Graphite Pencil) & “Forgetting to Forget” (Charcoal) both by Abigail Reese, “Stetson Rich” (Pen & Ink) & “Saturdays Are For Girls” (Charcoal) by Timberly Richison, “Jim” (Graphite Pencil) by Andrew Holden, “While We’re Still Here” (Watercolor) by Eric Lee Rudolph, “Like Father, Like Son” (White Charcoal) by Madison Smith, “Shattered” (Graphite Pencil) by Marcy Grendan, all of Liberty Senior High School (pictured in listed order below)
“Simplicity” (Pen & Ink) & “Trip” (Colored Pencil) by Shelby Coursey, “The Wanderer” (Pen & Ink) by Skyla Caldwell, “Majestic Bubbles” (Colored Pencil) & “Hiding Crocodile” (Colored Pencil) both by LaCrysta Adams, “Paris” (Pen & Ink) & “Scarberd” (Pen & Ink) both by Skylar Todd, “ Young & Beautiful (Colored Pencil) by Yana Hanchuruk, & “Queen” (Graphite Pencil) by Aspen Burton, all of Thayer High School (pictured in listed order below)
