Showcasing art created by dozens of high school students, the Jordan School District High School Art Show displayed oil paintings, watercolors, photography, ceramics, sculpture and more. Held at the Old Dome Meeting Hall in Riverton, teachers in the district hand-selected each of the 175 pieces for the competition. 

In late April, the JSD High School Art Show Award Ceremony was held, recognizing the students’ talents and dedication to art. JSD Fine Arts and Media Consultant Norman Emerson and renowned artist Al Rounds presented winners with awards in several categories.

The Best of Show winners were: Herriman High’s Bree Ivory for her pyrography, “Strength, Resilience, and Fragility”; Bingham High’s Porter Anderton for his metal sculpture, “Natures Hand”; Bingham High’s Mannix Drage for his photo, “American Kestrel”, and Riverton High’s Emerson Christiansen, Ryan Horner, Stella Moss, London Young and Garrett Schreiner for their digital video, “Static.”

Bree Ivory’s “Strength, Resilience, and Fragility” is a pyrography art piece, created using fire. The Herriman High senior won Best of Show for her work. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)

“It’s great to see the amazing artwork that students have produced,” said JSD Teaching and Learning Administrator Carolyn Gough. “I’m a fan. I’m a fan of the students. I’m a fan of their accomplishments, as well as the teachers. They work so hard to help students and I appreciate everything that they do.”

Along with Best of Show, awards were given for Honorable Mention, Award of Merit and Award of Excellence in 2D, 3D, photography and digital video. Also, the Doug Allen Scholarship was presented for the first time this year, with a $700 scholarship awarded to one artist from each high school in the district. 

Emerson said he was told by the judges this year that “they absolutely agonized over selecting the award winners because the caliber of the work that was submitted was so high. And that, of course, is a testament to the wonderful talent of our students, and also the hard work and the skill of our teachers.”

Ivory’s Best of Show pyrography was created by fire, using various torches and intensity to get the right colors. The South Jordan resident said it took a lot of trial and patience but she loves doing portraits in unconventional ways. The subject was inspired by a Rwandan family in her neighborhood who lived through the genocide in 1994.

“My family got really close to them because we were helping them as they were transitioning into the neighborhood, finding jobs and stuff,” she said. “Then I learned their story and it all just came together. Then it had a lot of meaning.”

For Bingham High’s Porter Anderton, his Best of Show metal sculpture inspiration came from his welding class. 

“I’ve been sculpting with clay for a little while because it’s cool and fun to play with,” he said. “In my welding class, we made flowers last year, and I thought it would be cool if I made a bunch of flowers and then a hand holding them. I spent a lot of time getting the different components of the arm to make it look realistic.”

Other winners include Copper Hills High student Brinley Taylor, who won an Award of Excellence as well as a Doug Allen scholarship for her oil on pastel, “Pretty Promises,” and Herriman High senior Gregor Stewart, who earned an Award of Merit for his digital art, “Temptation.” 

Dozens of students won awards at the Jordan School District High School Art Show, including Herriman High senior Gregor Stewart for his digital art, “Temptation.” (Peri Kinder/City Journals)

 “I wanted to play around a bit with warm, vibrant colors in a very dark setting,” he said. “So I’ve got a lot of these purple, reds and oranges, but the backdrop encapsulates it, to make the colors pop more. I also wanted the contrast between the very shaky man here and the very confidently posed beast.”

During the ceremony, Gough took a few moments to thank the parents and acknowledge their contribution to their students’ success.

“I know, as I have grown up in the art world, doing a lot of classes and training of my own, it takes time, lessons and also materials. So thank you for helping your students to live their dreams and to be a part of that.”

A full list of winners can be found on the Jordan School District website at jordandistrict.org.