TJ artist takes Best of Show at DPS High School arts gala.
by Manny Perez
photo by Manny Perez
After judging and accepting officially nominated work from almost a dozen different schools, and countless entrants, judges of the Denver Public Schools High School Art Exhibition awarded TJ artists top honors and featured spots in the show.
The Annual Art Show invites artists from all the DPS High Schools to enter their more upscale pieces for the public eye, and to compete for awards (mediums from ceramics to jewelry are included). Each high school is allowed to submit up to 15 pieces of artwork. Students took at least an entire semester to finish their masterpieces beforehand.
Art teachers Catherine Salazar and Brooke Stoyer were asked to nominate students for the show beforehand, choosing some of their pupils’ best work and sending them in for panel judgment. “You look at a car or a house or something and people fail to notice from where that object came: an artist. Well here, my students’ take that same level of passion and transform it into the pieces we see now,” said Salazar about her students work.
Morgan Dorn won both the Best of Show and 1st place in the Ceramics division with his piece Schism, a large green pot resembling a nest of intertwined snakes.
Schism, an 18-inch coil vessel, was a favorite among the judges. “I decided, after I started, that it would be cool if it had snake heads popping out. So, it has got snake heads sticking out randomly so it looks like a big coil – like a bundle of snakes,” said Dorn. “I hope that they see that it’s not just an off-the-shelf pot; it’s a handi-craft and a piece of art.”
Ben Makovsky, who garnered recognition last fall at the Core gallery, won 3rd place in Ceramics with his entry, Deep Ecology, a large camouflage-colored turtle.
Sean Reifman, who was featured at the Core gallery alongside Makovsky, was also awarded an Honorable Mention for his work titled Form and Function along with three other of his thrown ceramic forms. All of his work being capable of everyday use but still exhibiting flowing form and outstanding design.
Along with the officially honored artists, several others are showcased at the exhibit along side them. Kira Rodriguez submitted Caution: Radioactive Substance, which is a large ceramic pot with faces covering the outside and a green, almost toxic looking substance melting over them. Michael Degregori entered a mask symbolizing the essence of yin and yang titled Melding of Elements. Roxanne was Patrick Taylor’s appreciated work that can be described as a small red dragon.
The show opened yesterday to the public and will be open through Friday, May 2nd at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building at 201 West Colfax Avenue; atrium hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Reception for the artists will be held two weeks later on Tuesday, April 29th from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
