The Arts Council of York County and Rock Hill Schools present the annual Teachers’ Choice Youth Art Exhibition – featuring select artwork by Rock Hill students from high, middle, and elementary schools. This exhibition has been created in honor of Youth Art Month, and it will be on display in all three galleries at the Center for the Arts, 121 East Main St., Rock Hill through Sunday, March 14, 2021. On Thursday, March 4, awards were announced for the best in mixed media, painting, drawing, and sculpture at the high school and middle school levels.The Teachers’ Choice Youth Art Exhibit features works by students enrolled in schools within the Rock Hill Schools. Artwork by students at Northwestern High School, Rock Hill High School, and South Pointe High School is on exhibition in the Dalton Gallery. In the Perimeter Gallery, artwork by students from Castle Heights, Dutchman Creek, Rawlinson Road, Saluda Trail, and Sullivan Middle Schools is on display. Students from fifteen elementary schools have artwork on exhibition including Cherry Park, Ebenezer Avenue, Ebinport, Finley Road, India Hook, Lesslie, Mount Gallant, Mount Holly, Oakdale, Old Pointe, Richmond Drive, Rosewood, Sunset Park, and York Road Elementary Schools.
The following students received awards at the 2021 Rock Hill Schools Teachers’ Choice Youth Art Exhibit:
JIMMIE MATTHEWS AWARD | BEST OF SHOW
Self Portrait by Abe Shoaf
South Pointe High School, Teacher: Ashley Beard
Juror’s notes: Abe Shoaf’s Self Portrait shows mastery in both color use, light, and control of material. Shoaf has captured a moment of highly saturated color, common within contemporary photography and social media filters, and has managed to render the same intensity with oil pastel.
HIGH SCHOOL
3-DIMENSIONAL
1st Place – Geometric Spheres by Leyna Pham
Rock Hill High School, Teacher: Tina Vincent
Juror’s notes: For meticulous control of delicate and thin 2D paper, in order to manipulate, fold, and develop a set of 3D structures, making us question the material strength, time, and object weight.
2nd Place – Reflections of Stress by Dahlia Bell
Rock Hill High School, Teacher: Tina Vincent
3rd Place – Universal Keyhole by Nenya Greenlee
South Pointe High School, Teacher: Joana Suttle
Honorable Mention – Cityscape by Layla Gardner
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Caroline Furiate
DRAWING
1st Place – 1st Place Playlist by Donald Medley
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Sandy Queen
Juror’s notes: For an absolutely luminous control of color and intense description of directional light, stunning texture, a deeply considered placement of colorful shadows, and expression of determination.
2nd Place – Up Above the World So High by Katie Bland
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Sandy Queen
3rd Place – Still-Life by Ruthie Hrebar
Rock Hill High School, Teacher: Matt Bell
Honorable Mention – From the Page by Katie Bland
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Sandy Queen
MIXED MEDIA
1st Place – Pursuit of Happiness by Syrrhia Alcide
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Sandy Queen
Juror’s notes: For an image which is pure joy to invest time in – showing meticulous details and a controlled color palette.
2nd Place – Pointing Fingers by Stephanie Colon
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Sandy Queen
3rd Place – Canceled by Caroline Corbett
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Sandy Queen
Honorable Mention – Self Portrait by Christopher Lee
South Pointe High School, Teacher: Ashley Beard
PAINTING
1st Place – Solitary by Maliaika Conner
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Sandy Queen
Juror’s Notes: For a clear image of what it means to be in the exact present. For smart brushwork and a controlled color palette. For allowing the material to act and the artist to respond.
2nd Place – Gelatin Pie by Anna Cooper
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Laura Zellmer
3RD Place – Self-Portrait by Rossie Letigio
Rock Hill High School, Teacher: Kim Looper
Honorable Mention – Cheese Cake by Gia Wood
Northwestern High School, Teacher: Laura Zellmer
MIDDLE SCHOOL
3-DIMENSIONAL
1st Place – Daveland Avenue by Jamie Jackson
Rawlinson Road Middle School, Teacher: Alyson MacAlpine
Juror’s notes: For an exciting and energetic color palette, a twist on modern design, and a playful approach.
2nd Place – Medieval Cottage by Peyton Smith
Rawlinson Road Middle School, Teacher: Alyson MacAlpine
3rd Place – Kracken by Zachary Dalton
Dutchman Creek Middle School, Teacher: Traci Moore
Honorable Mention – Tiny House by Jasmin Solis-Thomas
Saluda Trail Middle School, Teacher: Angie Copley
DRAWING
1st Place – Daisies by Pippin Joldersma
Castle Heights Middle School, Teacher: James Wesley Tarlton
Juror’s notes: For a balanced composition showing full tonal range, wild energy, and diverse surface rendering.
2nd Place – Still Life with Deer Skull by Emory Sweet
Castle Heights Middle School, Teacher: James Wesley Tarlton
3rd Place – Self-Portrait by Meika Hammond
Saluda Trail Middle School, Teacher: Angie Copley
Honorable Mention – Still Life with Mannequin by Addison Stockner
Castle Heights Middle School, Teacher: James Wesley Tarlton
MIXED MEDIA
1st Place – Stove will send Ca$h and Big Money by Kylie Franchuk
Castle Heights Middle School, Teacher: James Wesley Tarlton
Juror’s notes: For the use of wild, varied textures, detailed fine work, and a gentle sense of play.
2nd Place – Balanced by Alexis Griffin
Sullivan Middle School, Teacher: Susan Barnette
3rd Place – Totally Me by Isabelle Elliott
Sullivan Middle School, Teacher: Susan Barnette
Honorable Mention – The Leaf by Meiya Grobusky
Sullivan Middle School, Teacher: Susan Barnette
PAINTING
1st Place – Blue Opal by Cara Cooper
Castle Heights Middle School, Teacher: James Wesley Tarlton
Juror’s notes: For a dynamic perspective, balanced composition, and subtle tonal shifts of calmness.
2nd Place – Scenic View by Ana Jimenez
Castle Heights Middle School, Teacher: James Wesley Tarlton
3rd Place – Northern Lights by Lilly Gynn
Rawlinson Road Middle School, Teacher: Alyson MacAlpine
Honorable Mention – Tree Frog by Cooper Sweet
Dutchman Creek Middle School, Teacher: Traci Moore
JUROR | MYLES CALVERT
Myles Calvert was born in Collingwood, Ontario. He attended the University of Guelph with a focus in printmaking, before travelling to London, UK where he completed his MA in Printmaking, at Camberwell College of Art (University for the Arts, London). Major bodies of work included installations of screen-printed toast and the idolization of popular British celebrity culture. During this time, he worked for the National Portrait Gallery before moving to Hastings in East Sussex, to teach printmaking at Sussex Coast College and become Duty Manager of the newly built Jerwood Gallery (Hastings Contemporary). Myles’ toast-based work continued with a 43,000 slice installation during the Queen’s ‘Diamond Jubilee’ with college students, drawing BBC media attention, and culminated in two solo exhibitions before making a return to the University of Guelph to teach. 2019 residencies included Art Print Residence (Barcelona, Spain) and Proyecto’ace (Buenos Aires, Argentina), as well as a lecture/workshop at PUCP (Pontificia Universidad Catòlica del Perú) in Lima. Myles is currently an Assistant Professor in Fine Arts at Winthrop University, South Carolina.