IC School students and others show off their art skills

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A gymnasium full of artwork was on display Sunday evening at IC School in Charles City.

The artists who provided the entries ranged from 3-year-old preschoolers to sixth-graders at Immaculate Conception Elementary School, but also included a host of others as well.

“Part of our show includes an open class where we opened it up to the entire community,” said Jeanne Hansen, the IC second-grade teacher who helped put the show together.

“Alumni, parish members, anybody in the Charles City community who wanted to participate. We have entries from someone who’s 75 years old. We have a couple from the high school that entered projects. We have a whole range of grade levels,” she said.

The event was the first art show that IC School has presented “in quite some time,” Hansen said.

“We just really wanted to highlight the fine arts at IC and give students the opportunity to showcase their talents, and really highlight those students who have a strength in the arts and a strength in the fine arts,” she said.

“This gives kids a chance to showcase that, just like we have events to showcase sports and events that showcase math and reading and all of those things, the arts are just one other area that we like to showcase,” Hansen added.

Media presented at the event included a wide range of drawings and paintings, using crayons, markers, pastels, acrylic paints and oil paints; and three-dimensional work such as clay sculptures, paper projects and even 3D printed art.

“We have over 250 entries — closer to 260 entries,” Hansen said. “We have media across the board — you name it, I feel like we have it down there.”

All the visitors to the event were given the opportunity to vote on best of class and people’s choice awards. In addition, all the entries received recognition for some aspect of the piece, assigned by Hansen and other IC staff members.

Hansen picked out a couple of dozen famous artists known for some particular contribution to the art world, and those artists’ names were the basis for individual awards.

“I felt it was really important that every student was recognized for something that was unique to their piece,” Hansen said. “I wanted every kid, when they submitted their piece, that they came away with some positive feedback. So they all got their own unique awards.”

Basing the awards on the famous artists’ names also increased the students’ awareness of those artists and their contributions, she said.

Best in Class awards went to Connor Stewart, Ernesto Estrada, Nolen Nosbisch, Abigail Fraser, Easton Schmitt, Richann Mendijar, Briggs Heeren, Ariana Estrada, Brennan Ruzicka, Sophia Calpito, Chloe Calpito, Piper Bohlen, Maysa Reams, Hazel Hansen, Ethan Hadley, Madeline Jacobs, Zeke Zweibohmer, Hailey Crooks and Jersey Dizon.

People’s Choice Award winners were Ana Ngo, Addison Tracey, Hailey Crooks, Sarah Pavlovich, Theodore Soifer and Chloe Calpito.