Art students awarded in Tulsa

PEA RIDGE — Art students from Pea Ridge Elementary Schools were a big hit last summer as their art was on display for a two-month exhibition at the Gilcrease Museum of American Art. 50 local artists were invited to put on a summer long show by the museum’s curator Deborah Burke. The event was the fourth time in the last six years that Pea Ridge has had the honor. Pea Ridge was the only single elementary school to put on a show last year, with a collection of Tulsa elementary schools putting on a combined show earlier.

Several thousand visitors toured the exhibition, with numerous comments left praising the student work.

The Logans of Tulsa remarked, “The art is amazing!” with the Mateos of Sacremento, Calif., stating that “The paintings are great!” The Johnstons of Sapulpa, Okla., even graded the work, saying “The work is fantastic! Great job students, worth an A +++!”

Visitors from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Colorado, California, Louisiana, Arizona, Illinois and many other states left comments like “Exquisite,” “Awesome,” “Beautiful,” “Excellent,” “Wonderful,” “Creative,” “Amazing,” and “Much fun!”

All visitors had the opportunity to vote on the various works that were exhibited from grades kindergarten through fifth grade. After the exhibit was closed the votes were tabulated with the following results announced:

◊Best of Show: Croix Lecause, kindergarten;

Brenden Spillman, first grade; Ava Little and Hagen McGarrah (tie), second grade; Jackson Revelle, third grade; Bianca DeShields, fourth grade;

and Madison McGuire, fifth grade.

◊First Runner-up: Kamden Hissong, kindergarten; Samuel Gregory, first grade; Isabella Smith, second grade; Heather Cato, third grade; Jon Howard, fourth grade; and Braeden Kennedy, fifth grade.

◊ Second Runner-up: Luke Baker, kindergarten; Chloe Jennings, first grade; Joe Adams, second grade; Grace Easterling, third grade; Lorena Razuri, fourth grade; and Jessica McMahon and Brody Weber (tie), fifth grade.

All of the exhibiting artists that were involved in the show represented the best 50 works of art from among the 20,000art works produced this year by the Pea Ridge art students. Awards from the Gilcrease show will be presented at the Elementary Art Show which is scheduled to be held Sept.

25 at the Primary School in conjunction with the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) annual fall meeting. There will be 200 works of art from the past three years on display.