NE IA HS Art Show attracts best high school artists
Hosted by Upper Iowa University
FAYETTE, Iowa (April 2, 2008) - For 25 years the Northeast Iowa High School Art Show (NIHSAS) has provided an opportunity for area high school art students to exhibit their work. For the second consecutive year, Upper Iowa University is proud to host the event, which will be held in the newly-renovated Edgar Fine Arts Building on the Fayette campus. The public is invited to the one-day event on Friday, April 18, in the Davis-Bing Memorial Gallery from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
More than 100 students from over a dozen area high schools are expected to participate. "We expect the best in printmaking, drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, computer graphics, photography and mixed media to be entered from Northeast Iowa students," said John Siblik, UIU assistant professor of art and coordinator of this year's show.
UIU alumna Sara Sheets will serve as juror for the show. Sheets is from Independence and works as an art educator and freelance artist.
In addition to the juried exhibition of student work, a full line up of speakers is scheduled. Presentations on their artwork, education, and career experiences will be given by Bethany Hackmann, an illustrator and graphic designer from Elgin; Kelly Ludeking, a cast metal sculptor from Frankville, and UIU alumna Rita Rickels, who currently teaches art at Muscatine High School. Rickels originates from Manchester, Iowa.
The NIHSAS is sponsored by Art Educators of Iowa, Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA), and Upper Iowa University. "We are pleased to host this event once again for Keystone AEA and the Art Educators of Iowa," said Siblik, "And to share in their mission of promoting excellence in the visual arts and providing educational opportunities for high school students in Northeast Iowa."
Ted Sojka, retired Decorah High School art teacher and previous organizer of this event, stated, "Last year's event at Upper Iowa could very well have been the best attended and most successful North East Iowa High School Art Show in recent memory. There was a very positive energy throughout the whole event." Sojka, who is also a long-standing member of the Art Educators of Iowa, added, "We are very grateful that Upper Iowa has committed to helping get this event back on its feet."
Art Educators of Iowa is a non-profit organization unified with the National Art Education Association and affiliated with the Iowa Alliance for Art Education, whose purpose is to promote excellence in visual arts education in Iowa through advancement of knowledge and skills, professional development, service, and leadership.
Keystone AEA is dedicated to providing the children of Northeast Iowa with the best possible educational opportunities through its partnerships with local schools, teachers, and parents. Keystone AEA provides services that put children first in Northeast Iowa.
For more information about the Northeast Iowa High School Art Show, contact Siblik at 563-425-5241 or e-mail at siblikj@uiu.edu.
Contact:
Sheila Miller
Director of Public Relations
Work - 563-425-5326
Cell - 319-610-7108
Fax - 563-425-5701
millers@uiu.edu
www.uiu.edu