First Place

I Wish I Was at the Beach!
sculpture, found objects

by Tyler Snow, a student artist from Arundel, ME

First Place in the Category of 4th, 5th, 6th, is Tyler Snow, a student artist from Arundel, Maine, for “I Wish I Was at the Beach!”

This piece is a three-dimensional oblong sculpture, measuring 12 by 8 by 6 inches, created with gritty sand, clay, and found objects. Much of the art is covered in warm tan sand. Three unique stones are perched on the far left of the piece. One is large, asymmetrical and looks as though it could be a broken-off chunk of rough concrete. Another is smoother and smaller, with a pale pinkish color. A shell, sliver of green sea glass, and small bits of seaweed dot the remaining sand. On the right side, the sand gives way to clay waves of light blue. Dried seaweed and smooth, green glass are perched in the waves. It is as though the artist has taken a section of the beach and put it on display. 

Second Place

Chacha, My Eyes
acrylic paint

by Angelina Garcia, a student artist from Rio Hondo Independent School District in Rio Hondo, TX

Coming in Second Place in the Category 4th, 5th, 6th is Angelina Garcia, a student artist from Rio Hondo Independent School District in Rio Hondo, TX, for “Chacha, my Eyes.”

This piece, measuring 16 by 20 inches, is a vibrantly painted rectangular canvas featuring a white, furry dog in the center.  Likely to be Chacha, this pup has large paws, brown eyes and brown fur around their eyes and a black nose. Chacha is gazing directly at the viewer and is wearing a red collar.  Seated in emerald, green grass, Chacha is on a lead held by a person standing just a bit in the background, right behind Chacha’s left shoulder. They are wearing jeans and bright red athletic shoes.  In the foreground, next to Chacha, is a white cane with a red tip held by the person. The background features a bright blue sky and a horizon lined with trees, as if they are at the park together. Chacha looks proud and dedicated to their person and they appear to be united and ready to take on the day.

Third Place

Charlotte
mixed media

by Delaney Perry, a student artist from Chappell, NE

Coming in Third Place in the Category 4th, 5th, 6th is Delaney Perry, a student artist from Chappell, NE, for “Charlotte.”

Measuring 7 ½ by 13 ½ by 5 inches, this piece displays a round purple cat tucked cozily into a shadow box made from a shoe box. Charlotte the cat is constructed of a ball of clay for the body, a ball of clay for the head, with pointy clay ears, round clay eyes, a pink little nose, and a white whisker area for a three-dimensional face on the cat’s round body. Four little paws are arranged so the cat appears to be sitting with their tail sticking straight up in the back. Charlotte is wearing a beaded necklace made from small square wooden beads on a string. The cat sits on a cat bed, made from a dark purple soft material. On the other side of the shadow box, Charlotte’s cat toys sit on the ground: a little maroon colored ball of yard and a felted mouse toy with a blue string for a tail. The back of the shadowbox is a big, clear window and on each side, there are 2 squares of patterned paper, creating the image of art on the wall that the cat can enjoy. The only thing this cat needs is someone to start playing!

Honorable Mention

Bob RC
mixed media

by Christian Straffe, a student artist from the St. Lucy School for Visual Impairment in Philadelphia, PA

Coming in Honorable Mention in the Category 4th, 5th, 6th is Christian Straffe, a student artist from St. Lucy School for Visual Impairment in Philadelphia PA, for “Bob RC.”

Measuring 14 by 12 inches, a black piece of construction paper is the background of this mixed media collage. In the center, the viewer sees a drawing of a cell phone, created in pencil on paper that was cut out and affixed to the black background. The cell phone is sketched and shaded to appear 3-dimensional. It is a modern cell phone, but allows the viewer to fill in gaps visually, as the sixteen square “apps” drawn on the phone are blank, despite the presence of the time, cell service bars, and date. Behind the phone are strips of bright yellow painter’s tape slashing across the dark background in an X shape.  To the left of the cell phone is a smaller rectangle, also attached to the black background. It is about half the size of the cell phone but appears to be a small notebook or other low-tech item. The rectangle is shaded in light colored overlapping shapes in orange, blue, green, red, and yellow. The colors of the smaller rectangle are muted pastels.  Most of the piece is just the black construction paper, creating a stark feeling. 

Honorable Mention

Our Galaxy Coming to Life
beaded charm

by Sydney Floyd, a student from Lawrenceville, GA,

Winning an Honorable Mention in the 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Category is Sydney Floyd, a student from Lawrenceville, GA, for “Our Galaxy Coming to Life.”

Measuring 6 and ¼ inches long, this piece shows a white piece of paper with large black words typed in a column on the left. A string of unique beads rests on the left. Each word is represented by a bead. The first bead represents black singularity, or the center of a black hole; it is a small, round, smooth black bead. The next represents the big bang, it is a red-orange, jeweled, translucent bead. The third is a shimmery pale blue bead shaped like a five-pointed star. It represents stars. A dark beige bead with a muted maroon swirl is fourth, representing our galaxy. A small, red metallic bead represents the planet Mercury. A round, silver bead represents the planet, Venus. A translucent blue bead flecked with gold represents Earth. A smooth, shiny red bead represents the planet Mars. A textured, silver bead represents asteroids. A large, dark, and murky green bead represents the planet Jupiter. A green and pink metallic, long horizontal-facing oval bead represents the planet Saturn. A shiny black bead with rough stripes of yellow, blue, and pink represents the planet Uranus. An irregularly shaped pearlescent bead represents the planet Neptune. A small, blue-green bead with faint beige markings represents the rain. A thin, shocking orange, vertical oval bead represents volcanos. A jeweled black bead with a textured pale green flower on it represents sea soup. Four identical, small, rectangular beads in black, green, gold, and red represent Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Nitrogen, respectively. The final bead, a round bead with shades of pink covering it in cloudy shapes, represents the first cells on our planet. The top and bottom of the bead string are capped off by small, plain, gold beads. Perhaps the artist meant to show how far we have come, from the big bang to the first life on Earth.