Student artists depict what home means to them in annual “Where I Live” School Arts Exhibition

Winning artwork to be on display at Spring Valley Library Art Gallery beginning February 11

Las Vegas, NV - February 02, 2016

More than 2,600 Clark County kindergarten through fifth grade students representing 18 schools submitted artwork to the Nevada Housing Division’s 19th annual Where I Live art contest. The Clark County School District students were encouraged to depict and submit works representing where they currently live, or a place they would like to call home.

 

The contest allows students a creative outlet to express the sentiment of what home means to them, or what they want it to mean. Former student artist and 2000 Where I Live contest award winner Georgina Castro explains, “Art is a form of expression. When we’re young, I feel that we are at our most creative. We can imagine things and not be jaded by the reality of them. We can be as expressive as we want and the sky’s the limit.”

 

What started as a fun art assignment transformed into an unexpected surprise when her artwork was selected as one of the winning submissions. “The next thing I know I’m attending a reception at an elegant location for something that I had drawn for fun. Our art teacher never put limits on what we were drawing, painting or sketching. If our sky was gold and our trees were orange it was perfectly fine and I thank her for that because to me that’s the beauty of art,” said Castro.

 

The 2,600 submitted works for this year’s contest were juried to 220 pieces by a panel comprised of Nevada Housing Division staff and exhibition sponsors. These pieces were put on display at the “Where I Live” Exhibition and Awards Program held in the Delfino Ballroom at The Venetian on December 17 where a group of more than 800 students, teachers, family members, sponsors and community partners were gathered.

 

During the awards program, first, second and third place ribbons, and 10 honorable mention certificates were presented.  These 13 winners will have their artwork featured in the 2016 Where I Live calendar distributed by the Nevada Housing Division.  The calendar’s cover will feature the first place winner’s artwork with one of the 12 remaining drawings featured each month.   

 

The winners of this year’s Where I Live art contest are:

·         Natalie Hubert, Sheila Tarr Elementary- 5th grade, first place

·         Calissa Snyder Cox, Dean Allen Elementary- 5th grade, second place

·         Olivia Bennett, Dean Allen Elementary- 1st grade, third place

Honorable mentions: Pablito Raul Gepana, Tomiyasu Elementary- 5th grade; Ethan Mercer, Selma Bartlett Elementary- 4th grade; Kallen Forrest, Selma Bartlett Elementary- 4th grade; Cameryn Sligar, Dean Allen Elementary- kindergarten; Emily Dosch, Dean Allen Elementary- kindergarten; Jaymie Jaster, Dean Allen Elementary- 3rd grade; Lauryn Brenner, Dean Allen Elementary- 2nd grade; Jessica Brocksome, Berkeley L. Bunker Elementary- 4th grade; Ethan Hong, Doral Academy- 1st grade; Katie Spinogatti, Doral Academy- 2nd grade.

 

The contest, exhibition and awards were made possible with the support of a number of community partners and sponsors including: Sands Cares Foundation, Blick Art Materials, One Nevada Credit Union, Nevada HAND Property Management, Design One Printing, SDA Inc., George Gekakis, Inc., Southwest Gas, Triumph Property Management, NVHousingSearch.org, Clark County School District and Nevada Housing Division. 

 

The 13 winner’s original drawings will be on display at the Spring Valley Library Art Gallery from February 11 through March 29.  The pieces will then be displayed in the Nevada Housing Division’s Las Vegas office.

 

 About the Nevada Housing Division

The Nevada Housing Division was created by the Nevada Legislature in 1975, when it was recognized that a shortage of safe, decent, and sanitary housing existed throughout the State for low- and moderate-income Nevadans. Their mission is to improve quality of life by providing affordable housing opportunities. For more information visit www.housing.nv.gov.

 

Contact

Teri Williams
Public Information Officer
(702) 486-0407