The Art Department is proud to feature our award-winning New Buffalo Middle/High School artists at the state level! Ethan Collis (Left), Izzy Moser (Center), and Cora Moser (Right) have been chosen for the Michigan K-12 State Art Show sponsored by the Michigan Art Education Association and the Michigan Department of Education.
Nearly 500 works are submitted annually and adjudicated in a series of regional and state level exhibits down to a group of 100 artworks featured in the state show. This year, the artwork was judged by Liz Guilmet from The Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan.
At the middle school level, Cora Moser (8th Grade) placed in the Top 18 overall for her artwork.
Artist Statement: "A Story"
A creature is on the run–but from what? And to where? A convenient cave seems to lose its pursuers, but what lies beneath the surface could prove itself to be far more sinister…
This story makes me so happy because of how much Cora put her own ideas into the artwork. I've been teaching Cora since she was a 6th grader at New Buffalo Middle School and it has been so exciting seeing her continue to grow as an artist. She has always had a love of dragons and often references them in an original way in her work.
Cora was dedicated to make this comic storyline the best that she could and carried to and from school countless times to continue working on it outside of art class. The level of attention to detail all drawn by hand with pens and watercolor is incredible when looking closely at some of these images zoomed in. I love the personalities of the dragons and the mood of the atmosphere that she created.
In the high school competition, Ethan Collis (12th Grade), was selected for both the Top 100 overall in the Michigan K-12 State Art Show as well as the Michigan Department of Education Art Show.
Artist Statement: "MLO"
This is a series of portraits featuring Milo and Mylo based upon familiarity and the feeling of settling into knowing someone. I chose muted colors for a more grounded feeling to the piece with continuous overlapping lines to show the feeling of connection to others. The subjects I chose are important to the piece; there’s more drawings of Milo because I know him better and less of Mylo because I had just begun getting to know them.
Ethan drew two of his classmates who he titled "MLO" in this artwork after they posed for life drawing sketches. What is so interesting about this artwork to me is how he collaged several sketches of their portraits in a way where their faces seem to be interacting with each other.
Ethan is drawn to working with neutral tones and was experimenting with different types of newsprint, colored pencils, and pens in this artwork. I love how he varied the line quality in heavier values when drawing the MLO who was his closer friend at the time and demonstrated the beginning of a new friendship in lighter lines for the other MLO. I can see the emotion and thought put into this piece in how the faces connect and disconnect in a web of social dynamics in the collaborative community of our art classroom.
Of the 100 finalists in the High School State Show, jurors chose 30 of the most outstanding works to produce the Governor's Traveling Show. This collection of artworks tours different venues around the state of Michigan for one full year until finally going on display in the Governor's Executive Office in the state capitol in Lansing.
Izzy Moser (11th Grade), was chosen for the Top 18 overall as well as the Governor's Top 30 Traveling Show!
Artist Statement: "The Creatures' Deck of Cards"
The bunny and the wolf on a deck of cards seem to contrast each other in each print as prey and predator, light and dark, good and evil; but I leave the interpretation up to the viewer. The card you choose determines your fate.
Izzy was very excited about linocut printmaking! What surprised me was how they took the printing process a step further by considering how the blocks would be composed on the final prints in such a way that the two concepts of a wolf and bunny would combine as a face card suit. These were complicated drawings to carve but served this medium well with the use of positive and negative space in solid sections of light and dark.
Izzy printed sheet after sheet to produce just the right values, colors, and paper type with a solid print in heavy ink for their main subject on the top of the card and a faded, ghosted print on its reverse side that aligned with just a slight overlap and not any inky fingerprints on the edges. There were many rough drafts!
This artwork not only demonstrates the technical skill that it took to create this set of prints, but also Izzy's creative thinking with the thematic narrative of the creatures that resulted in the final work of art.
I'm proud of Izzy's accomplishment with their artwork being chosen for the 2023 Governor's Top 30 Traveling Show. Izzy's artwork will tour across the state of Michigan for one full year until finally going on display in the Governor's Executive Office in the state capitol in Lansing.
The Michigan K-12 Art Show occurs annually in celebration of National Youth Art Month (YAM) during the month of March. The Michigan Art Education Association (MAEA) showcases the most outstanding artwork produced by students from all regions of the state of Michigan for YAM.
K-12 Art Show: (Izzy, Ethan, & Cora)
Ann Arbor Public Library
343 South Fifth Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Sunday, March 12th - Friday, April 7th, 2023.
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 18th, 1:00-3:00pm
MDE Art Show: (Ethan)
Michigan Department of Education State Office Headquarters
608 W. Allegan St. Lansing, MI, 48933
May 2023- May 2024
Governor's Top 30 Traveling Show: (Izzy)
Locations TBD- will vary throughout the year
May 2023- May 2024
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This is an incredible accomplishment for our students to not only be accepted into the show as the Top 100 of the state, but also to receive high honors with the Top 18 and Governor's Traveling Show recognition.
I am driving to the Michigan Education Association headquarters in East Lansing this weekend to deliver their artwork for the show! I'm very proud of my students!
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