The first ever SDHSAA State Visual Arts competition was held in the concourse area of the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, SD over the weekend.
James Weaver with the South Dakota High School Activities Association said the Visual Arts event is similar to other state events, where it’s the best of the best competing for the top award.
“The event is a state gallery of all different forms of art,” said Weaver. “We had over 200 entries this year and we were very impressed with the amount of skill showcased in the pieces of artwork.”
Weaver said three classes of students (AA, A, and B) could compete in eleven possible categories. The categories for Visual Arts are drawing, drawing colored, painting (oil and acrylic), painting (watercolor), photography, printmaking, 3 dimensional, crafts, traditional cultural art, multi-media/graphic design, and mixed media.
Here are a few sample pictures from the Visual Arts gallery.
To see a full gallery and to see individual results and award photos, click here.
The following awards were handed out Saturday night at the State AA Basketball Championship half-time:
Best In Show Award: awarded to one entry in each class, regardless of category, with the highest ranking from the State Gallery judges. This year's Class B BEST IN SHOW, with 202 out of 210 possible points in the Three-Dimensional (3D) category, was Tasha Determan from Hanson High School. This year's Class A BEST IN SHOW, with 182 out of 210 possible points in the Three-Dimensional (3D) category, was Sydney Hausmann from Tri-Valley High School. This year's Class AA BEST IN SHOW, with 200 out of 210 possible points in the Mixed Media category, was Emily Groth from SF O'Gorman High School.
The Overall Team Champion Award was awarded to one school in each class that accumulates the most sweepstakes points across the 11 State Gallery categories. The Class B RUNNER-UP was Hanson High School and their coach, David Cantrell. This year's Class B CHAMPION was Northwestern High School and their coach, Jennifer Schell. The Class A RUNNER-UP was Beresford High School and their coach, Julie Saagstad. This year's Class A CHAMPION was Tri-Valley High School and their coach, Mandy DeWitt. The Class AA RUNNER-UP was SF Lincoln High School and their coach, Susan Waagmeester. This year's Class AA CHAMPION was Spearfish High School and their coach, Lisa Howard.