ODESSA––Six Shorthorns competed in the Regional Visual Art Scholastic Event (VASE) on Saturday, March 1 at Permian High School in Odessa, earning several awards for their works, which included paintings, drawings, and mixed media pieces.
Piper Donaldson, Dariela Muñoz, Fransisco Rosas, and Giselle Torres were awarded the highest score of 4 for their art and received medals. Francisco Rosas's piece, Electric Dandelions, advanced to the State Competition that will take place in April in San Marcos.
The day of the competition was a whirlwind! Students met at Marfa High School early Saturday morning. After the drive to Odessa, the students dropped their VASE work off at Permian and browsed artwork by other students in Region 18, which includes over 30 West Texas school districts.
"I enjoyed being able to see other people's artwork!" said Giselle, a sophomore at Marfa High School. "Everyone's work was so different and unique!"
Then, Ms. Powers' students tried their hands at arts and craft workshops set up in the cafeteria, making Artist Trading Cards and trying out a mobile pottery wheel from UTPB's Pots-n-Prints.
At noon, the competition paused for lunch. Marfa's young artists walked to Chipotle for sustenance. On the walk back, the group stopped at Petco to meet a snake named Larry and to allow Mrs. Donaldson, who met us in Odessa, to purchase a new classroom pet, a Beta Fish named Major Tom.
By the afternoon, judges began evaluating the six students' artwork. Each student brought their piece to meet with a juror and explain their artwork's intent and answer a series of questions. Feedback from jurors was overwhelmingly positive, with all six pieces receiving either a 3 or a 4. One juror wrote, "Dariela's work is a stunning example of simple elements such as color and line, so many different lines are in this piece and used effectively." Another said, of Fransisco's self-portrait, "The artwork captured the person he is and the person he would like to be perceived as: outgoing, gregarious, and happy-go-lucky."
While the students awaited the judges' results, it was time to shop. Students went to Best Buy, Marshall's, Ulta, and Academy to spend their paychecks and allowances. At 5:30, the results of the competition were announced, and teachers picked up artwork that was not advancing. Piper, Dariela, Francisco, and Giselle were given medals, and Francisco was given two for advancing to State. Dinner that night was at a Chinese Buffet, where the students sampled calamari, noodles, shrimp, sushi, crab, and even frog legs!
The group arrived back in Marfa at 11:00 on Saturday, exhausted after a full day of art, food and shopping. Zoey Salgado said, "This is the first non-sports competition I've ever been to, art kids are so nice!"
