RAM features 107 students from 16 area schools in 76th Young Artist Show: High School Division, opens March 5

Rockford Art Museum (RAM) opens its 76th Young Artist Show: High School Division with a free, public opening and awards ceremony 1–3 p.m., Sunday, March 5. Sponsored by Industrial Molds and Women’s Art Board, the exhibit remains on view through April 2 at RAM, located at 711 N. Main St., Rockford. 

Teachers at 20 schools within 50 miles of Rockford Art Museum submitted nearly 1,100 pieces for consideration by this year’s jurors, who chose 146 pieces representing 107 students from 16 area schools. On view are paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, photography, digital and mixed media and more. Jurors Katie Martin-Meurer and Chris Sisson did not know the artist’s name, grade level, or school affiliation when selections were made for inclusion in the exhibition and for awards. Martin-Meurer is outreach coordinator for Peck School of the Arts at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Sisson chairs the department of art and art history at Rockford University. Both are practicing artists. 

Awards will be announced at 2 p.m. during the March 5 opening. Students and teachers of any grade at any school receive free admission to the museum throughout the entire 6th Young Artist Show, which includes the subsequent Youth Division (April 9–May 7). 

Rockford Art Museum (RAM) opens its 76th Young Artist Show: High School Division with a free, public opening and awards ceremony 1–3 p.m., Sunday, March 5. Sponsored by Industrial Molds and Women’s Art Board, the exhibit remains on view through April 2 at RAM, located at 711 N. Main St., Rockford. 

Teachers at 20 schools within 50 miles of Rockford Art Museum submitted nearly 1,100 pieces for consideration by this year’s jurors, who chose 146 pieces representing 107 students from 16 area schools. On view are paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, photography, digital and mixed media and more. Jurors Katie Martin-Meurer and Chris Sisson did not know the artist’s name, grade level, or school affiliation when selections were made for inclusion in the exhibition and for awards. Martin-Meurer is outreach coordinator for Peck School of the Arts at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Sisson chairs the department of art and art history at Rockford University. Both are practicing artists. 

Awards will be announced at 2 p.m. during the March 5 opening. Students and teachers of any grade at any school receive free admission to the museum throughout the entire 6th Young Artist Show, which includes the subsequent Youth Division (April 9–May 7). 

FULL LIST OF SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS REPRESENTED: 


Auburn High School Creative and Performing Arts Program (CAPA), Rockford (Teacher: Leslie Arbetman) Toni Etherly, junior; Kate Foster, senior; Emma Lai, senior; Jenna Trowbridge, senior. Belvidere North High School (Teachers: Troy Yunk, Edith Obenchain) Abbey Brynolf, freshman; Emma Carlson, junior. Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford (Teachers: Rebecca Pelley, Michelle DalPra) Delaney Appino, senior; Mayra Arteaga, sophomore; Isabel Cooling, junior; Olivia Corcoran, senior; Amy Englund, senior; Alli Erdmier, junior; Hannah Harris, senior; Emily Hudak, senior; Lily Johnston, junior; Ally Lamkin, junior; Emily McKenzie, senior; Grace McLaughlin, junior; Emily Miller, junior; Savannah Oseguera, senior; Mary Siobhan Parsons, senior; Lain Weickert, senior; Anne Wubbena, junior. Byron High School (Teacher: Kathy Driscoll) Allison Abel, sophomoreChristian Life High School, Rockford (Teachers: April Graves, Sarah Waldron) Morgan Coates, senior; Grace Hart, senior; Ray Martin, senior. East High School, Rockford (Teachers: Karissa Wrasse, Rich Hacker, Kathryn Martin) Karla DeLa Torre, sophomore; Bailey Lundquist, senior; Mark Yang, sophomore. Guilford High School, Rockford (Teachers: Lisa Doll, Eric Blackwell, Bo Hammarberg, Bethany Austin) Nadia Adamany, senior; Sal Aguirre Jr., senior; Keonta Burnell, senior; Olivia Garl, senior; Alejandro Gomez, senior; Christian Hatcher, senior; Alexis Henderson, senior; Laura Hintzman, senior; Zemrije Jakupi, freshman; Isabella Doll Jaycox, senior; Grace Jewell, senior; Kayla Johnson, junior; Kiana Ledesma, senior; Destiny Murphy, senior; Esperanza Musso, senior;  Nina Paris, senior; Roxanna Ramos, junior; Kyra Sparks, senior; Gretchen Stark, senior; Andrew Xaysana, senior. Harlem High School, Machesney Park (Teachers: Barb Kurilla, Alison Agustsson) Kendra Belisle, sophomore; Sarah Claus, senior; Krystal Hegg, senior; Annie Meyers, senior; Leah Mueller, senior; Mikayla Redington, senior; Kasey Scheidegger, senior; Amanda Thompson, senior; Charlotte Varboncoeur, senior; Ali Walters, senior. Hononegah High School, Rockton (Teachers: Arra Van Galder, Jennifer Decker, Rebecca Robinson) Mia Dreher, senior; Audrey Humy, junior; Madeline Porter, senior; Logan Praneis, senior; Melissa Sanderson, sophomore; Cecilia Schmitt, junior; Jacob Schockley, senior; Victoria Sweeney, junior; Sophia Timmerman, senior. Huntley High School (Teachers: Jillian Corapi, Kate Isaacson, Bridget Regan, Valerie Lindquist) Dasuni Dharmaratne, junior; Isabelle Fabella, senior; Gabriela Falconi, senior; Dakotah Henn, senior; Alyssa Ingrassia, senior; Jackie Krebs, junior; Hannah Lattanzio, senior; Jared Miles, senior; Armando Santoyo, senior; Brogan Shore, senior; Emily Witczak, senior. Jefferson High School, Rockford (Teachers: Lynn Stockton, Gail Zernia, Matt Cwynar, Steve Hoover) Giselle Arellano, senior; Cassie Caldwell, senior; Maria Campos, senior; Efrain Carlos, senior; Darapon Chaibal, sophomore; Chamayze Hall, senior; Ashley Martinez, senior; Britania Moreno, senior; Jennifer Ramirez, senior; Miguel Ramirez, senior; Andrew Sanchez, junior; Kindred Sweeney, senior. Pecatonica High School (Teacher: Jillian Myers) Sarah DePuy, junior. Rockford Christian High School (Teachers: Kelli Sabin, Liz Day, Mike Cropper) Sabrina Cao, junior; David Jin, senior; CiCi Liu, senior; Elijah Paruzynski, junior; Anna Peterson, senior; Ally Schilling, senior; Maddie Walker, senior; Yale Zheng, senior. Rockford Lutheran High School (Teacher: Sarah Wolfe) Allen Chen, senior; Sam Wagner, junior. Roosevelt Alternative High School, Rockford (Teacher: Brian Hierstein) Omar Perez, senior. Winnebago High School (Teacher: Lisa Jimenez) Maddy Bradfield, senior; Lara Meschewski, senior; Joie Vittetow, senior. 

This annual student exhibit is on view at RAM in Anderson Gallery, on the museum’s lower level. Concurrent feature exhibition on view at RAM in Funderburg and Kuller Galleries, on the main level, is The Others (through May 29), with 50 iconic selections by 44 seminal artists from the Francis and June Spiezer Collection of Rockford Art Museum, critically acclaimed as the most significant collection of Chicago art that exists today, and sponsored by Anne and David Boccignone, and Rockford Area Arts Council.  

The 76th Young Artist Show: High School Division is organized by Rockford Art Museum, juried by Katie Martin-Meurer and Chris Sisson, and sponsored by Industrial Molds and Women’s Art Board. Exhibitions and related educational programming at RAM are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and by the Armer Ahlstrand Charitable Foundation. 

Rockford Art Museum is a non-profit organization that has been enriching the quality of life for people of all ages through art collection, exhibitions, and education since 1913. Regular admission: $7 adults, $3 students/seniors, with free admission for RAM members and children younger than age 12. Regular hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. For more information call (815) 968-2787 or go to rockfordartmuseum.org