PERU — What do two Peru Excessive Faculty artwork college students have in frequent with Andy Warhol, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates and Truman Capote?
They have been all winners of the identical award.
Kloee Cassel and Marie Klimova have been each gold medalists within the Scholastic Artwork & Writing Awards, an artwork contest for youngsters.
Cassel received for her {photograph} titled “Floating Carcinogens.” Klimova received for her combined media piece “Hen in a Cage.”
The combined media piece depicts a rooster made of various coloured egg shells. Numerous shades of brown egg shells add depth with the white of the rooster’s tail feathers.
Klimova crushed up the egg shells and glued them on high of one another and onto the paper, generally piece by piece.
“It was tedious work,” she mentioned.
Small bits of wooden function the rooster’s legs. Sand and filth make up the backdrop. Precise wire is positioned over high of the piece.
Klimova, who’s an change scholar from the Czech Republic, discovered inspiration when she considered her grandma’s farm again house.
“I used to be at all times type of near them,” she mentioned. “I believed I’d attempt to make one thing with a rooster.”
Peru Excessive Faculty artwork trainer Mike Applegate mentioned Klimova beat out lots of different combined medium items.
“The idea is de facto good, and the aesthetic worth is nice,” he mentioned. “She went manner above and past.”
Klimova’s host household helped her gather egg shells. Cassel joked that Applegate purchased a dozen eggs and made an enormous omelet simply to assist Klimova.
“All he did was eat eggs for that motive,” Cassel mentioned. “If we ever want artwork provides, Applegate goes out of his manner.”
Greater than 100,000 college students submitted greater than 260,000 artworks and writing for the 2022 Scholastic Awards.
Of these, 2,600 have been chosen for a nationwide award. Half go to writing; the opposite half are for artwork. Fewer than 2,000 writing and artwork items obtain a nationwide medal, which locations Cassel and Klimova within the high 1% of all submissions.
Award winners are chosen by a panel {of professional} artists.
“Floating Carcinogens” depicts a scholar floating in a pool stuffed with bottle caps and plastic lids.
Cassel submitted the photograph as a part of a portfolio in her AP artwork class, taught by Applegate. Every bit of the portfolio needed to deal with the identical subject. The Peru senior selected the surroundings, a difficulty she is keen about.
“I simply wished to do one thing that might truly make individuals see one thing totally different and do one thing that might change their thoughts,” Cassel informed the Kokomo Tribune in a earlier interview. “I wished to make use of my artwork to alter somebody’s thoughts.”
Whereas artwork has been a lifelong passion for Cassel, this yr was the primary time Klimova had taken an artwork class since center faculty.
“I’m type of a beginner,” she mentioned.
However artwork is shortly turning into a ardour for Klimova, particularly ceramics.
“I had no concept that was such an enormous ardour for me,” she mentioned.
Each college students have obtained a number of scholarship presents since being named nationwide award winners.
Cassel plans to attend Ball State College to review nursing however intends to take as many artwork lessons as attainable.
“I feel it’s positively going to be one thing I sustain with,” she mentioned.
Klimova can have one yr of highschool left when she returns to the Czech Republic. She’s contemplating following her new ardour.
“Within the few months I’ve been right here, it’s positively grow to be an possibility for me,” Klimova mentioned.
Peru Excessive Faculty isn’t new to having Scholastic Award winners. Applegate mentioned it’s a testomony to a group that cares concerning the arts, noting Peru Novice Circus and Cole Porter.
However there’s additionally Peru Group Colleges’ administration that keen to spend money on the humanities division.
“The most effective factor now we have going over lots of others faculties is the administration,” Applegate mentioned.