ABOVE: Paintings and crafts, created by the talented students, were mounted on the Red Rock Center walls on Wednesday for community eyes

FAIRMONT– The Red Rock Center for the Arts in Fairmont presented its 15th annual High School Area Art Show, showcasing more than 60 pieces of work from the talented students that represented Fairmont, Blue Earth, Truman, Granada-Huntley-East Chain, Martin Luther, North Union and Martin County West on Wednesday.

Cookies and refreshing beverages were provided for visitors as they were encouraged to appreciate the remarkable craft of each individual student.

Judges Ashley Haake and Char Kahler determined placements for pieces in their respective categories of media. They had judged pieces in over 12 categories. Many art exhibits are scored based on technique, quality, expression, creativity and more. It was noted by the Red Rock Center director, Sonja Fortune, that acrylic was the most commonly used media for the art show this year, with ceramics coming in second.

“It’s a great way to celebrate the arts,” Fortune said, “This the biggest show we’ve ever had.” She noted that the addition of Martin County West this year grew the number of artists competing.

Schools select 10 students to compete in the Red Rock High School Area art show. Of those 10 students, one participant may submit two pieces of artwork at a time. Upon submission, judges will rank entries by their given criteria before finalizing results. Cash prizes for each category will be distributed to the winners of the art competition.

Fortune described the significance of high school art showcases, as a testament to the student’s courage of having their talent be seen by the public eye, rather than others at school.

“Students have to be brave enough, to be comfortable enough[to display their art], knowing people from the public will come in and see it. Some schools will think, ‘Oh, maybe we’re not good enough.’ But art is for everyone. It doesn’t matter how good it is, art is an expression of how you feel and what you’re thinking,” Fortune stated.

Sonja Fortune mentioned that many students won’t consider much about art beyond the art show, but holds the hope that students will want to do more with their talent based on the experience of competing and being recognized for their work. She discovered that such an opportunity can serve to be a confidence boost in young artists as well.

“There’s a lot of artists–I call them ‘closet artists’—we try to get them out of their ‘closet’ and show their art,” Fortune said, “There’s so many out there. I want them to show their work, and show the community what they’re doing.”

After the competition, participating students will gather on April 26th, concluding the annual spring art show by using their talents to create a nature-based collage.