(Above: Aden Nice’s large acrylic painting, titled Bird.)

By Randi Bjornstad

The jurors have had their say, and the winning entries of the 2021 Mayor’s Teen Art Contest at the Maude Kerns Art Center have been revealed.

Elizabeth Urbancic’s Lady, an award-winner in the Mayor’s Teen Art Contest and show.

Qi Yuhan’s drawing-to-digital print, Not Your Child, also won an award in the show.

Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis made two selections, one each in the two- and three-dimensional categories. In the 3D category, Vinis gave the nod to Lady, a paper clay sculpture by Elizabeth Urbancic, 16, who attends South Eugene High School.

“I love he detail and mood of this piece,” Vinis said in commenting on her decision. “The figure evokes The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, with Urbancic’s own whimsy and interpretation. It is beautifully crafted, creative, and just plain fun.”

The mayor’s 2D award went to Oak Hill School student Yuhan Qi, for her drawing-to-digital-print rendering of Not Your Child.

“I am moved by the power and skillful execution of this piece,” Vinis said. “Yuhan has a deep, dark image to communicate, and she has designed and drawn a haunting, frightening image to express her outrage at the injustice of valuing boys’ lives over girls.”

The three Juror’s Choice Awards were won by Aden Nice, 16, of South Eugene High School and WheelHaus Arts, for his acrylic painting titled Bird; an acrylic-on-canvas painting by 17-year-old Skyleigh Mckibben of WheelHaus Arts; and Rainforest Griffin, an acrylic painting by Kate Woolsey, 15, who attends Oak Hill School.

Cumulus Woman, by Skyleigh Mckibben, was one of the Juror’s Choice winners

Prizes for show winners included cash, gift certificates to Oregon Art Supply, and a complimentary membership to the Maude Kerns Art Center.

All participants in the annual student exhibit each received an “Artistic Talent & Perseverance Award” designation for their efforts, particularly for the effort to maintain creativity despite the challenges for the past 18 months caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The award includes a one-year student membership to the art center.

The honorees are Celena Bajracharya, Tennepah Brainard, Colton Brown, Riley Haney, Marley Hines, Alex Hutchens, Skyleigh Mckibben, Aden Nice, Yuhan Qi, Gwyn Scnear, Isabella Tocco, Elizabeth Urbancic, and Kate Woolsey.

Images of all the entries in the Mayor’s Teen Art Contest can be viewed on the Maude Kerns Art Center’s website at mkartcenter.org.

 

Mayor’s Teen Art Show

When: Through Oct. 1

Where: Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene (corner of 15th and Villard streets)

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 4 p.m.

Information: 541-345-1571 or online at mkartcenter.org

Kate Woolsey’s fanciful landcape, Rainforest Griffin, received an award in the Mayor’s Teen Art Contest