14th annual student art show

The 14th annual Sevier County Student Art show award ceremony was held Friday, February 23, at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. The awards were juried by Sevierville artist Beverly Gwinn Jones, of Two Coyotes Studio, and Gatlinburg artist Lynn Bland.

Over 60 cash prizes were awarded totaling more than $2200. Top honors were awarded to Molly Noseworthy ($250 Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation Best of Show) for her self portrait in pencil titled Summer's Gone, and to Mary Elizabeth Vance ($225 Sevier County Bank Award) for her mixed media painting titled Transparency. The attached PDF includes a complete list of the award winners.

The show remains open for viewing at Arrowmont until March 3, 2007. Hours are Monday -Saturday 8:30-4:30 . More information is available on the Sevier County Arts Council web site at www.seviercountyartscouncil.org

Beverly Gwinn Jones of Two Coyotes Studio is a local artist who has been working with young people in art and drama for the past 16  years. She began making jewelry in 1991, and has followed an art  career ever since. Bev first taught art at Covenant Christian School. 

She brought "creative play" classes to Arrowmont's summer youth  programs with puppets, and folk-tale traditions. Currently, Bev is  doing art and drama classes at her studio in Sevierville. Beverly has  been very active in the Sevier County Student Art Show since 1998  because she says "supporting young people in their artistic endeavors  is the most rewarding work I can do."  I always wanted to be an  artist as a kid, but never got the support to ever think I could be  one. I want any child who is interested in art to believe that they  can make a life as an artist or at least to help give them the  confidence that encourages them to try.  Walt Disney said "if you can  dream it, you can do it, remember this whole thing started with a  mouse and a dream." Kids are our best and biggest dreamers, in  supporting their dreams, their art, and their individuality  . . .   we might just change their world! How exciting!

JUROR'S STATEMENT

No one knows how daunting a task this is. I am so glad I did not have  to judge the entire show.  I am incredibly honored to be co-juror  with Lynn Bland for this year's student art show. We had a wonderful  time and I could not have done it without her. Seriously, this is the  hardest thing because all the work is so awesome, so inspiring, and  every year it just keeps getting better and better.  I literally  stayed awake one night asking myself how will I judge kid's art I  mean " I love it all," so I thought about what things really touch me  in artwork; color, movement, texture. With children's works I  especially  look for passion and originality that practically jumps  off the page.

So on this one day of looking at all this incredible art, the works I  picked were the most passionate, colorful, and most original pieces  that I felt moved me the most. Believe me all these kids are winners! 

They are brave enough to tell you all about themselves in a single  piece of art. Support them in all their art endeavors.

And if I can give a bit of advice to these young artists. Please try  not to copy other artists works, seek to find who you are as an  artist and dare to have your own style.  How do you find your own  style? Draw a lot! When a photographer goes out to take pictures they 

may take an entire roll of film, and get only a few shots that they  consider to be good. Same goes with your art . . . keep drawing, keep  trying!

Bev Gwinn Jones

Lynn Bland graduated from Florida State University with a degree in  Construction Design. She taught art in the Volusia County Public and  private schools and Fiber at Daytona Beach Community College. She has  show in juried shows in the southeast, and had work published in the  books Material Vision and Signatures and also in Gallery Magazine. 

She considers herself a Mixed media artist who is represented in  Gatlinburg at the J Alan Gallery and in Waynesville, NC at Twigs and  Leaves Gallery.

JUROR'S STATEMENT

The amount of artwork submitted was overwhelming, but more  importantly the

quality of the work itself reached a standard of excellence that was impressive. The artists represented used so much skill and  imagination it was hard for me to remember they were not professionals, but  students, some as young as kindergartners. It was an honor and pleasure to serve on the jury of this fine show.

Lynn Bland