Bright paintings of faces and rainbows, detailed drawings of wildlife, a chicken made out of alpaca and goat fur and a People’s Choice award-winning drawing of a family of owls are just some of the pieces of art local young artists created for the Peaceful Valley Heritage art contest this spring.
The young artists were celebrated on April 30 during a reception as their works of art were on display for all to see in the Grand Hall at the Brown County History Center.
Over 30 homeschool and Brown County Schools students from kindergarten to 12th grade all participated in the second annual PVH youth art contests, showing off their artistic skills in four different divisions.
“The entries were beyond exceptional, each one as unique as the individual that took the time in its creation,” said PVH secretary Lorna Reichmann.
Last year, PVH posed an important question ahead of the first ever Peaceful Valley Heritage Arts Week: What would Brown County be like if the artists never came?
This is the second year PVH has worked to organize the youth art contests and an essay contest for high-schoolers to celebrate the county’s local art history. The purpose of the weeklong celebration is to help put the arts back into focus in the community.
This year, high schoolers were asked to write their essays on cartoonist Frank McKinney “Kin” Hubbard who created Abe Martin, a fictional backwoods Brown County cartoon character created in the early 1900s.
Working with the Brown County Historical Society, PVH secured the Grand Hall to display this year’s round of artwork from the county’s youngest artists as well as have plenty of space to invite the winners and their families to celebrate at the reception.
“Peaceful Valley Heritage is a small organization. To meet your goals, community collaboration can be vital and this community was amazing,” Reichmann said of working with the Historical Society.
“It is a beautiful spacious room perfect for what we needed.”
She credited Historical Society President Pete Bullard along with members Vicki Faulkner and Jan Goehringer for helping to make this year’s art contest a reality. The Artist Associates of Brown County also offered their assistance by lending PVH their art panels with Bill Hastings personally delivering them to the History Center.
“With some patience and a lot of straight pins all the art was meticulously hung. It was a sight to behold,” Reichmann said.
This year’s art contest featured paintings, drawings, 3D pieces and clay art.
“Some were huge taking up almost a whole wall and then there were others almost as small as an earplug,” Reichmann said of this year’s entries.
Volunteer judges of this year’s contest were Brenda Kelley, Anabel Hopkins, Amanda Mathis and MK Watkins.
“It was a challenging contest to judge having a combination of 2D and 3D artwork. The judges had to consider the challenges of printmaking, the ability to capture a picture at the right angle in the right light and if the artist used enough contrast in their drawing,” Reichmann said.
“The imagination, the color, the creativity in the artwork made it apparent that these artists had fun making their entries.”
A lot of the color and creativity in most of the pieces can be credited to the children’s’ art teachers in school who guided them while they worked to create a variety of artwork.
“Andi Rogers Bartels, Laurette Roales and Kelly Schwenk (art teachers in Brown County Schools) were essential for getting this contest to run smoothly and to have the amount of participation we received. Stoking the artistic fire early on is one of the many reasons we do this contest,” Reichmann said.
PVH also gifted cash prizes to Bartels, Roales and Schwenk.
‘Amazing kids’
As the young artists entered the Grand Hall decked out in their creations, Reichmann said the pride they felt was painted all over their faces.
“There is something special about seeing a child’s eyes light up when they find their masterpiece displayed professionally. A new world opens to them,” she said.
“No one sees the time, energy and possibly frustration an artist puts into their work. All you get to see is the finished product. Your reaction can determine to the artist if all that time, energy and frustration was worth it. To these children, the kindergartens to the seniors in high school, it was definitely worth it.”
Acknowledging the “amazing kids” in the community in such a public way was wonderful, Reichmann continued.
First, second and third place winners in each group — kindergarten through second grades; third through fifth grades; sixth through eighth grades; and ninth through 12th grades — were recognized at the reception.
For the second year in a row, Brown County High School senior Freya Baldwin won the top $500 prize for her first place marker drawing of a gorilla titled “Golira” in the high school division. Eighth-graders Kaleigh Everett and Cambria Cox won $300 for their first place painting “Humming Into Spring.”
Sprunica Elementary School first-grader Drelynn Konkle won first place, and $125, in the kindergarten through second grade division for her “Mrs. Fox” painting. Sprunica Elementary fifth-grader Rilan Purlee won first place in the third through fifth grade division for his mixed media “Fluffy” using Alpaca fibers and goat locks to bring the artwork to life.
This year’s Youth Art Contest also featured a new People’s Choice award, which went to Helmsburg Elementary School first-grader Norah Tieman for her “Owl Family” drawing.
Community support of this year’s contest did not stop with volunteer judges, the Artist Associates of Brown County and the Historical Society. Local business owner Kevin Ault catered the reception.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better evening to enjoy art, budding talent and community coming together to recognize it,” Reichmann said.
This year’s contest and reception could not have happened without a $3,550 contribution made by an anonymous donor that funds the contest and its prizes.
“Their gift has been a blessing for 32 of our community’s youths, just this year and just for this contest,” Reichmann said of the donor.
The gift also funded this year’s essay contest. Simone Smith won first place in that contest, which came with a $900 cash prize. Judges were Dorothy Babcock, Rick Kelley and Cathy Martin. A reception was held for the contest winners on March 26 at the Brown County Art Guild. Dustie Condon catered with paninis, homemade dips and a dessert table. Resident Clara Stanley entertained the crowd with her piano playing during both receptions.
But to keep offering these opportunities for the youngest residents — and the love of art alive in their hearts — PVH needs donations.
“To keep these opportunities available donations are crucial, so if you feel inclined to donate, please do so,” Reichmann said.
Donations can be specific to the youth art contests or other work PVH does, including cemeteries, historic national markers, developing Sunday drive tours for the Hoosier Hills Scenic Byway or in the group’s general fund for use on any project they see fit. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 150 Nashville, Indiana 47448. For questions, email [email protected].
“We hope to continue this competition for years to come, bringing our community even closer and providing experiences for Brown County youth that they wouldn’t get anywhere else,” Reichmann said.
”Thank you to all who helped with our event, the parents and family members who came to see the art exhibit, those who helped the kids prepare for the competition and the kids themselves. We are so pleased by their participation and the dedication they have for their craft.”
