Voice exhibit giving students opportunity to show work

Courtesy Ana Lerma

This photo, taken by Coronado High senior Ana Lerma, was the winner of the High School Best in Show category from the 2008 Voice exhibit.

By Ashley Livingston

Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 | 2:28 p.m.

A chance to have artwork displayed in a professional setting as well as win cash is once again being offered to local secondary students with the opening of the annual Voice exhibit in early March.

The exhibit, a juried show for high school and middle school students in the Clark County School District, will be at the College of Southern Nevada Cheyenne Campus, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave, March 6 through April 3.

An awards ceremony and reception begins at 6 p.m. March 6 in the Nicholas Horn Auditorium at the Cheyenne campus.

In the high school division, cash prizes will be given to the best in show as well as the first, second and third place winners in the categories of digital and traditional photos, painting, drawing, ceramics, three-dimensional design, digital art, mixed media and printmaking.

Middle school student winners will be given ribbons for placing in the same categories. The founder of the event, Cimarron-Memorial High School teacher Lisa Hinricksen, said the exhibit, which was first held in 2005, was born out of frustration.

A lot of high school art teachers are forced to exhibit in the cafeteria or elsewhere in the school, she said.

"I really felt that the kids deserved a gallery experience rather then just the library," she said.

Hinricksen said that last year, 26 district high schools and seven middle schools participated in the exhibit and that she enjoyed making the calls to the winners in each category.

"When you hear their response, they're just blown away their work was even noticed by anyone," she said. "It's so touching."

The number of entrants this year won't be known until March 2, she said.

This year the submissions will be judged by Craig Freeman, an artist and the president and founder of Northwest College of Art; Heather Protz, a photographer and instructor in the Department of Media Technologies at the College of Southern Nevada; and Ryan Pepper, an artist and the general manager of Dick Blick.

The Best in Show in the high school division will be awarded $500.

Award monies were donated by Fresca LLC and American Casino and Entertainment Properties, which owns Arizona Charlie's and the Stratosphere, Hinricksen said.

Additionally, new this year, American Casino and Entertainment Properties will select an entrant to be awarded $500 and to be the first piece in a new permanent display.

Hinricksen said she's happy to be able to produce such an exhibit, despite budget cuts, and she feels good about supporting student artists.

"It brings me great joy to see these kids receive money for their work," she said.

Ashley Livingston can be reached at 990-8925 or ashley.livingston@hbcpub.com.