Young artists accept state award

— Pea Ridge elementary students Mason Murillo and Jessica Gibson accepted gold medals from the Arkansas Department of Education at an awards ceremony in Little Rock last week.

Gibson was voted the top kindergarten artist in northwest Arkansas, while Murillo received the same honor as the best finisher in the first-grade division.

They were among 72 artists from all over the state of Arkansas to be honored at the Arkansas Studies Institute building in downtown Little Rock. Both Gibson’s and Murillo’s artwork will remain on display in the ASI building on Clinton Avenue until the end of June.

The ’Hawks’ Gibson was in Little Rock the day before to receive a secondplace award at the statewide Collaboration of the Arts Festival held across the street from the ASI building in the Rivermarket Pavilion. The young artist became the first local student to receive honors in both venuesin the same year. Her artwork (a deer and her fawn) in that competition will be on display at the WittStevens Arkansas Wildlife Conservation Center inLittle Rock throughout the summer.

School, Pages 12 on 05/25/2011