Following a 28 year tradition, the Alliance for the Arts and the Lee Arts Educators Association (LAEA) have partnered together to present and feature artwork from area schools. This year, the annual exhibition and award ceremony, The Future of Art, has gone digital due to the impact of COVID-19. The show features artwork from thirteen area high schools and hundreds of works in a variety of mediums.
“Now more than ever is a critical time to support young artists,” says gallery director Ehren Gerhard. “When we encourage young artists, we’re encouraging them to have confidence in their ideas. The work of our local students is powerful, cutting edge and risk taking! As a community, it is vital we foster creative thought in young minds. They are the future and the future demands it.”
The Alliance and LAEA hosted a virtual award ceremony on May 1 via the Alliance for the Arts Facebook page. This year’s judges are Dana Roes, Sorsha, Mike Kiniry, Stephen Hayford, and Ehren Gerhard. Winners were selected in several categories including painting, drawing, photography, computer graphics, mixed media, sculpture and functional ceramics. Best in Show receives a full Associate in Arts scholarship to Florida SouthWestern State College.
Award categories and winners include:
BEST IN SHOW: Esmeralda Flores, “Golden Hour,” Cypress Lake High School, Grade 12
DRAWING COLOR
1st Place – Carly Enmon, “Fish,” North Fort Myers High School, Grade 11
2nd Place – Celine Galang, “Making My Way Downtown,” Cape Coral High School, Grade 12
3rd Place – Mia McMillian, “Untitled,” Lehigh Senior High School, Grade 10
DRAWING BLACK AND WHITE
1st Place – Kimberly Sarabia, “Tyler the Creator,” Estero High School, Grade 12
2nd Place – Hank Yang, “Solitude,” Cape Coral High School, Grade 12
3rd Place – Ariela Appadoo, “Untitled,” Lehigh Senior High School, Grade 11
FUNCTIONAL CERAMICS
1st Place – Nina McBride, “Untitled,” North Fort Myers High School, Grade 11
2nd Place – Chris-Sola Martinez, “Untitled,” Lehigh Senior High School, Grade 12
3rd Place – Madeline Kellum, “Vessel,” Estero High School, Grade 12
SCULPTURE
1st Place – Yildizay Turk, “Oceanic Body Adornment,” Cypress Lake High School, Grade 11
2nd Place – Installation led by Austin Stinnett, “Ravens,”,South Fort Myers High School, Grade 12
3rd Place – Caroline Cicotte, “Photic vs Aphotic,” Fort Myers High School, Grade 11
PAINTING
1st Place – Anna Fischler, “Untitled,” Fort Myers High School, Grade 11
2nd Place – Kimberly Sarabia, “Honey Bees,” Estero High School, Grade 12
3rd Place – Esmeralda Flores, “Golden Hour,” Cypress Lake High School, Grade 12
MIXED MEDIA
1st Place – Julia Dry, “Untitled,” Cypress Lake High School, Grade 12
2nd Place – Trinity Sullivan, “Shake,” Cape Coral High School, Grade 12
3rd Place – Jenny Doan, “Untitled,” Ida Baker High School, Grade 11
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
1st Place – Julia Dry, “Movement #13,” Cypress Lake High School, Grade 12
2nd Place – Arialis Perez Delgado, “Underwater Scene with Whale,” Lehigh Senior High School, Grade 11
3rd Place – Ha Nguyen, “Untitled,” Cape Coral High School, Grade 11
PHOTOGRAPHY
1st Place – Donovan Souppa, “Plastic Final,” North Fort Myers High School, Grade 12
2nd Place – Kaitlin Fernandez, “Mirror,” Mariner High, Grade 12
13rd Place – Lauren Ratz, “Untitled,” Fort Myers High, Grade 12
For more information or to view the virtual gallery, visit ArtInLee.org/FutureOfArt. This exhibit is sponsored by Florida SouthWestern State College.
About Alliance for the Arts
Now celebrating its 45th anniversary year, the Alliance for the Arts is a nonprofit community visual and performing arts center located in the heart of Fort Myers, Florida. For more information, call 239-939-2787, visit us at www.ArtInLee.org, find them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/ArtInLee.org), Instagram (@AlliancefortheArts) or follow us on Twitter (@ArtInLee).
