Student Arts Expo
Student Arts Expo: March 3 - 28, 2023
[⚠️] IMPORTANT UPDATE! [⚠️]
The Student Arts Expo Gallery Opening + Reception originally scheduled for Friday, March 3 is POSTPONED due to the threat of severe weather and in keeping with our policy to follow Dalton Public Schools for closings and cancelations. We are rescheduling the reception for March 17, but the exhibit is now open and the public is welcome to come and see it during our normal operating hours.
Join us for a Reception on Friday, March 17 from 5:30-7pm. Free and open to all! The exhibit will remain up during the whole month of March. Galleries are open during our normal operating hours or by appointment. To arrange for field trips or group viewings, contact Amanda Walker: amandaw@creativeartsguild.org
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Spigel Prize for Excellence in the Visual Arts:
Audrey Merryman - Sculpture - Dalton High School
Wade Sitton - Photography - North Murray High School
Click Here to read more about our Spigel Prize recipients.
March is Arts in Education Month at the Creative Arts Guild and the Guild’s 60th Annual Student Arts Expo is a big part of the celebration. All public, private, and home school students in Dalton/Whitfield County and Murray County are invited to exhibit.
Congratulations to our 2023 First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mention ribbon recipients!
PreK
1st Place - Sawyer Smith, Cohutta: Untitled
2nd Place - Max Nieto, Park Creek: Rainbow Fish
3rd Place - Alexa Rowland, Roan: Penguin
Kindergarten
1st Place - Olivia Rowe, Chatsworth: Hopping Into Spring
2nd Place - Alexa Jimenez Lopez, Roan: Untitled
3rd Place - Ellie White, Northwest: Untitled
First Grade
1st Place - Caitlyn Cope, Chatsworth: Waking Up With the Moon
2nd Place - Ariella Jones, City Park: Little One
3rd Place - Emma Acuna, Westwood: Untitled
Second Grade
1st Place - Ariana Gordy, Varnell: Monkey
2nd Place - Bryleigh Smith, Chatsworth: Study on Romero Britto’s Style
3rd Place - Coral Crain, Westwood: Untitled
Honorable Mention - Serenity Williams, Chatsworth: Walk in the Woods During Autumn
Third Grade
1st Place - Claudia Rodriguez, Chatsworth: Rise and Shine
2nd Place - Yuliana Regalado, Varnell: Mandrill
3rd Place - Easton Mitchell, Varnell: Come Sail Away
HM - Eli Bishop, Chatsworth: Thinking About Grandpa
HM - Fraymi Amparo Santos, Blue Ridge: Red Bird
Fourth Grade
1st Place - Emily Snow, Varnell: Butterfly Glances
2nd Place - Anayi Padron, Northwest: Untitled
3rd Place - Malachi Andrews, Blue Ridge: Perfection
Fifth Grade
1st Place - Landon Lewis, Westwood: Untitled
2nd Place - Jackson Seaborn, Coker: Koi Fish
3rd Place - Cason Conner, Varnell: Leo
HM - Victoria Calderon, Roan: Untitled
HM - Laney Stokes, Arden Forest School: Untitled
Sixth Grade
1st Place - Alex Stafford, Northwest Elem: Untitled
2nd Place - Alanna Tocco, Westside Middle: Draco
3rd Place - Arleen Lopez, Hammond Creek: Untitled
HM - McKinley Campbell, Northwest Elem: Untitled
Seventh Grade
1st Place - Jenna Beavers, Westside Middle: The Ride
2nd Place - Giselle Nunez, Hammond Creek: Untitled
3rd Place - Arya Patel, Hammond Creek: Untitled
HM - Baileigh Lovelace, Creative Arts Guild: Quack Quack
Eighth Grade
1st Place - Zelda Nicholson, Arden Forest School: I Like Cheese
2nd Place - Waelyn Bailes, North Whitfield: Banana
3rd Place - Luna Cruz-Lopez, Westside Middle: The Rabbit
HM - Roselyn Patino, New Hope: Study
Ninth Grade
1st Place - Silas Owens, Dalton: Family of Bears
2nd Place - Gyssel Vazquez Ramos, Southest: Mixed Media Make Up
3rd Place - Emma Gilligan, Coahulla Creek: Untitled
HM - Sofia Gonzalez, Northwest: Woven Red Panda
Tenth Grade
1st Place - Helen Nguyen, Dalton: Untitled
2nd Place - Wadein Willingham, North Murray: Xenomorph
3rd Place - Karleen Chastain, Dalton: Untitled
HM - Keely Nguyen, Dalton: Castle
Eleventh Grade
1st Place - Jade Thompson, North Murray: Sleeping Bear
2nd Place - Kylee Ross, North Murray: Strawberry Delight
3rd Place - Janet Hernandez, Southeast: Watercolor Landscape
HM - Nathalia Cervantes, Dalton: Untitled
Twelfth Grade
1st Place - Katie Pack, North Murray: Decrepit Bog
2nd Place - Yasmin Bryant, Northwest: Last Kiss of Starcrossed Lovers
3rd Place - Jorge Ramirez, Dalton: Out of the World Set
HM - Zaedin Asumus, Dalton: Infinity Tree
HM - Emily Hobbs, Murray County: Decay
General Guidelines:
Pre K – Grade 5
Each school may submit 5 pieces per grade level. One work per student. Please limit to no more than 2 pieces of a project to encourage a diversified gallery.
Grades 6 – 8
Each school may send 4 pieces per grade level. One work per student.
All two-dimensional artworks for Pre-K - 8 must be mounted on construction paper no larger than 20” x 24”. We have a limited number of tables available for three dimensional artworks. All entries must have an identification tag which corresponds to the school’s inventory list. (Linked Below)
Grades 9 – 12
Each school may enter work up to max of 16 entries; 4 per grade level, one per student.
All two-dimensional artworks must be securely mounted on mat board and must be able to be installed by push pins or placed on an easel provided by the school. All framed artwork must be wired for hanging or placed on an easel provided by the school. Please contact Amanda Walker regarding oversized work perameters.
INSTALLATION
All teachers are responsible for hanging their own work. The Spigel winner is responsible for installing their exhibit under the supervision of the Arts in Education and Executive Directors. To preserve our walls please bring work that can be secured with push pins (supplied by the Creative Arts Guild). Framed pieces should be displayed on easels or be appropriately wired for hanging. If your students need an easel for display, plan to provide your own. All artwork must be tagged on the front of the work and listed on the inventory sheet (see enclosed tags and inventory sheet). PLEASE note that Students can sell their work if they choose. It just needs to be listed on their tag and on the inventory sheet. (Please remind them that they will NOT get their piece back if it sells)
INVENTORY FORMS
Please have the identification tags and inventory sheet(s) completed prior to bringing art work to the Creative Arts Guild. Inventory sheets must be provided for each school by grade level, including ART TOGETHER entries. An inventory form must be completed for each Bernice Spigel Scholarship artist.
AWARDS
First, second, third place ribbons will be awarded in each grade level. Awards are made based on the student’s ability to use the materials, an understanding of art history or the student’s place in his/her world and innovative individual expression. At least one judge from outside the local education arena will make the selections.
Art Together Collaborative Classroom Competition Guidelines:
The Creative Arts Guild and O.N. Jonas Foundation sponsor an arts competition for collaborative classroom projects. The winning classroom in each division will receive a $100 award to be used for an artist in residence fee, art supplies or other classroom art activity resources during the school year.
Each school may submit up to one entry per grade group.
Categories: Grades Pre K - 2; Grades 3 - 5; Grades 6 - 8; Grades 9 -12
Artwork is displayed as part of Student Arts Expo. Please ensure that the artwork and subject matter are appropriate for children pre-school age and up. Entries may be two or three dimensional. All entries must include the appropriate hanging material and signage denoting title, school, grade level, and teacher’s name. Entry forms must include students’ names, school, grade level and teacher’s name. Each school is responsible for delivery, installation, and pick-up of entries at the Creative Arts Guild in accordance with the timeline included for the regular art exhibit. Each winning classroom in the above categories will receive a $100 award.
Bernice Spigel Prize For Excellence in Visual Arts
Now in its 23rd year, the Bernice Spigel Prize for Excellence in the Visual Arts was created to honor the amazing work done for the arts in our community by the Creative Arts Guild's first Executive Director and encourage more talented young people in Dalton/Whitfield and Murray Counties to explore the arts. After a stint at a New York ad agency where she worked with artists such as Andy Warhol, Bernice Spigel came to Dalton and nurtured the Creative Arts Guild through its infancy. Her decades in Dalton were marked by a selfless advocacy of the arts, education, and children's causes. This $1000 award is eligible to any public, private, or home-schooled Senior residing or attending school in Dalton/Whitfield or Murray County. See the info packet linked below for more specific information and guidelines.
Guidelines and Forms
Bernice Spigel Prize Info Packet
Important Dates:
| Spigel Prize In The Visual Arts | Senior Portfolios Due For Judging: Thursday, February 9 Additional Spigel Prize dates listed in Award Guidelines |
| Install - All Grades | Monday, February 27 - Wednesday, March 1 10am-6pm |
| Gallery Opening & Reception |
Friday, March 3, 5:30 - 7:00pm |
| Exhibit Dates | March 3 - March 24 Our Galleries are open during our normal operating hours or by appointment. Please contact Amanda Walker to arrange field trips or other special viewings. |
| Collaborative Art Pick Up |
Monday, March 27 - Wednesday, March 29 |