High School seniors Raeshawn Smith of Ganado High School, Calie Etsitty of Holbrook High School, and Patrick Bonn of Mogollon High School are the top awardees in the Talon Gallery at Northland Pioneer College’s (NPC) 38th Annual Juried High School Art Exhibit. The trio of student artists captured Best of Show awards and art tuition scholarships to NPC for the 2024-25 academic year.
Jurying this year's show were NPC Art Faculty and Talon Gallery Director, Magda Gluszek, NPC Film and Digital Video Faculty, Nathan Kosub, and NPC Art Faculty Peterson Yazzie.
Commenting on the Best of Show winning oil pastel drawing “May” by Ganado High School senior Raeshawn Smith, juror Nathan Kosub notes, “This is a gentle lovely piece that draws the eye into a forest scene. The colors in this piece glow.” He continues, “They glow at the edges of the forest just beyond the figure in the background. They give a sense of the will of the whisps… of the twilight… of the setting sun.” The brightness is muffled by the trees, he says, which “are portrayed beautifully. There’s a shape and quality to them.” He explains, “The piece is cinematic in its use of color and light. It’s a warm piece. It’s a space that I would like to spend time in.”
Calie Etsitty of Holbrook High School took Best of Show accolades for the acrylic painting “Lilies’ Whispering Reverence.” NPC Art Faculty Peterson Yazzie says, “The painting’s strong composition and dynamic brushwork make this piece exceptional. From the water’s reflection to the pathway created by the floating lily pads; it creates a serene welcoming atmosphere.” He continues, “The play of light and shadow within the setting makes this piece delightfully compelling.”
The penciled artwork “Mental Health Awareness,” by Patrick Bonn of Mogollon High School, also received Best of Show honors. Juror Magda Gluszek explains that the jurors were drawn to the artwork because of the way the artist handled the challenging subject matter. She says, “There are a lot of creative things done here. With shading, we get the sense that this figure has weight and exists in space. Yet around the figure, there’s a sort of flatness and a lot of texture created with the text.” She continues, “We get the sense that the figure exists in real space and real life. But at the same time, the figure is also existing within their own mind. We imagine the words and phrases bouncing around in their head, and we’re not sure what’s going to happen next.” The art creates a sense of tension with the words “floating around the figure,” she says. “The darker words, which are heavier, both visually and conceptually, are coming down onto that figure.” In contrast, she continues, “The lighter words are visually lighter and are radiating from the figure.” She states, “I’d like to think of them as radiating towards the figure in an extension of support.”
In addition to the top three Best of Show awards, senior Lyndsay Thomas of Ganado High School placed first in the painting category, along with Demetrius Robinson, a sophomore at Piñon High School, who took home two first-place awards. Second-place awards in the painting category went to Menelanna LeSuer, a senior at Round Valley High School, and Lillie Williams, a senior at Holbrook High School. Fellow Holbrook senior Ezabelle Salazar took home a third-place award. Honorable mention went to Best of Show winter Callie Etsitty of Holbrook along with Micah Olayvar of Dishchii’bokah High School and Samantha Slade of Snowflake High School.
In the mixed media category, Chloe Chun, a senior at Xavier College Preparatory placed first and Andrea Denny, a junior at Piñon High School took second. For the 3D art category, Round Valley High School sophomore Seth Geisler placed first and Piñon High School sophomore Natalia Nalwood took second. A first-place digital art award went to William Lee, a sophomore at Snowflake High School.
A total of Sixty-four entries were selected for this year’s juried show. “There’s such a great breadth and variety in all of the different artistic expressions,” says Gluszek. “A special thanks to all of the art teachers in our area for promoting creativity and artwork with your students and for encouraging them to enter this exhibition.”
The full exhibit can be enjoyed virtually at the NPC Talon Gallery webpage www.npc.edu/hs-show-2024. For more information on this and upcoming NPC art exhibitions, please contact Magda Gluszek at (928) 532-6176 or email magda.gluszek@npc.edu.
