EL CENTRO — The visual arts were proudly on display as the Imperial County Office of Education hosted its second annual Arts Festival and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 2, at the ICOE Administrative Conference Center in El Centro.
Colorful balloons and bright lights welcomed event attendees as they entered the display area, where they could also pick up hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. The stage was festively adorned with large “ARTS” block letters, announcing the purpose of the gathering and being ready to receive all participants and winners.
The event began with a gallery walk, in which parents and guests could walk around and admire the various art pieces around the room. Displays were arranged by size, art medium, and type, with prize-winners being designated with a purple ribbon.
Event organizer and Student Events Coordinator Vicente Ortiz shared his own experiences with art and a drawing that one of his kids made for him earlier in the day. “My kids love to draw,” he said. “Hopefully we can continue having events like this in the future for them.”
Ortiz explained that the purpose of the event was to emphasize the visual arts, especially the “A” in the acronym STEAM, which has been the focus of many school districts lately. “We wanted to have an event for kids who have a passion for the arts, and to showcase what they can do. We want to engage that audience and that demographic of diverse students,” he said.
Dr. Todd Finnell, superintendent of Imperial County schools, gave a welcome message to the audience, emphasizing the importance of the arts and sharing a personal anecdote from his own childhood about how his mother encouraged him to take art classes on Saturdays when he was younger. He admits he didn’t like it much as a child, but now appreciates the effort by his mother as an adult.
Finnell also expressed enthusiasm for the artists and their families that evening exclaiming, “Every single piece of art in the room is A-mazing!”
“Art can also be very subjective, and personal,” he added. For this reason, students will be given the option of auctioning their artwork at the “Autumn in the Arts” festival in October, but only if they want to. The money will go back directly to the young artists, in the form of scholarships.
Participants excitedly awaited the award results, with many students receiving first-, second- and third-place awards and medals. Awards were given in several categories, with a 12-person panel of volunteer judges deciding on the winners.
One artist and participant, Galya Lopez, a senior at Southwest High School, shared her experience in creating her art. She brought her best friend and mother to enjoy the art show.
Galya showed her self-portrait, which represents her years in school. “It was a moment of self-discovery, and of letting go,” she said. She explained how the flowers in the painting represent a painful moment in her life, and how she is now leaving the trauma behind.
Her mother, Lya Lopez, said she is proud of her daughter’s work and she came out to the event to support her. “This is a great space to exhibit her work. She’s been painting ever since she was a little girl.”
At another local school, two best friends decided to take an art class one day, and seven months later the fruits of their labor are on display at the ICOE Arts Festival. This is the case with Mina Rojas Zamarripa and Emma Gonzalez, from William Moreno Junior High School in Calexico, who both submitted their artwork to the exhibit, but in different art categories.
Mina created a digital art piece called, “Another Friday Night.” She said it took five to six hours for her to complete and it represents a feeling of loneliness. Mina won third place for her efforts and said, “I encourage everyone to support the arts.”
Her friend Emma created a sculpture inspired by the animated Disney film, “Ratatouille.” Her art piece is called, “Chef Ratoncito.” Although she didn’t place this year, Emma said, “Art can be so serious sometimes. I just wanted to create something silly this time around.” She plans to create more art and enter the exhibit again next year.
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Similarly, two friends from Barbara Worth Junior High in Brawley also entered their work into the exhibit. Lauren G. Weir, an eighth-grader, gave the reasoning behind her artwork by saying, “For art class, we had to draw an endangered species, and I realized that I like drawing fluffy animals.”
Mariely Ayala, an eighth-grader, entered two art pieces that both depicted animals: a sea turtle and a family dog. She revealed that she likes to draw animals and thinks that her drawings are unique. She would like to enter the auction in the fall to see how much money she can get for her art.
Other popular artist categories included Most Original Title, Most Creative, and Most Original Concept. Annelia Bonillas, ICOE social media specialist and volunteer judge, said, “It was very difficult to decide on the awards. All of the art is amazing! Congratulations to everyone.”
Jeannette Montano, senior curriculum director, was also in attendance and assisted with the awards presentation. She asked the students how they were inspired to create their art pieces.
Several of the young artists did not know what directly inspired them, but they agreed that creating art makes them feel happy and relaxed.
A handful of young artists gave their thoughts about who or what inspired them, with most of them agreeing that most of their artwork comes from within.
Concluding the event, Finnell stated that ICOE is dedicated to “nurturing the passions and talents of young artists and providing a structured program plus venue to showcase and develop these talents.”