Timing pays off for high school art exhibit

Oftentimes the best part of good timing is it doesn't reveal itself until way after the fact. A year after the Lorain County Region Scholastic Art Exhibit successfully made the leap from in-person to online adjudication — the difference from teachers physically bringing student work to the Stocker Arts Center over submitting digital images of the art — Stocker Arts Center Operations Coordinator Beth Bryan is thanking her stars. The move helped facilitate the 53rd annual affair to take place virtually this year with the gallery show online now through March 19. "It was a learning process for teachers to submit photos of the work online, but in the end, it was just so much easier and made so much more sense," Bryan said. "Making the switch last year really helped us out this year, because we were all very concerned about the 2021 show. "We started having Zoom meetings with the teachers back in the spring to talk about this. Over the summer, because schools in the region were handling their reopenings differently, some teachers — who would normally submit a lot of work — weren't sure if they'd be able to this year." Nearly 1,000 original works of art from student artists were submitted this year with professional judges selecting roughly 325 pieces as Gold and Silver Keys, as well as honorable mentions. "With 975 submissions, the scholastic team was ecstatic that we got that much work and the quality was great," Bryan said. "If this had been a regular year, I'd be just as proud of this show and the students' efforts. "I know it's really important to the students to have this event because it validates their work and encourages them." The categories include architecture, ceramics, glass, comic art, design, digital, drawing, illustration, editorial cartoon, fashion design, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and senior portfolio. The art was judged on the following criteria — originality, technical skill and emergence of a personal vision or voice. The Lorain County Region Scholastic Art Exhibit, which is open to any seventh to 12th grade student to submit up to five works of art, features schools from Lorain County, as well as various Huron County and Erie County schools. Naturally, the pandemic means the Lorain County Region Scholastic Art Exhibit can't host opening ceremony or Gold Key-winner receptions. Bryan said being virtual is bittersweet. While she would prefer artists could see their works hanging salon-style in the Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery, the truth is often smaller works are missed because the wall is just packed with art. "That's just the nature of hanging that much art up in the space," Bryan said. "I think showing the work in the ways we're doing it this year, it's just a great way for everybody who wants to see all of the work to take their time." Like so many things in the world post-pandemic, there's a good argument to be made the Lorain County Region Scholastic Art Virtual Exhibit — having successfully added an online component — will be different going forward. "I think we may have an online presence for people who maybe don't ever come out to the show and don't know about it," Bryan said. "Also, I'm feeling confident that we'll be able to do it live next year. I'm excited about that getting back into the gallery and getting back to work." For more information, visit lorainccc.edu/stocker/beth-k-stocker-art-gallery. Contact John Benson at NDiffrence@att.net.