Carmel International Arts Festival announces winners of High School Art Scholarship program

The rainy skies on Sept. 28 and 29 did not deter Carmel International Arts Festival (CIAF) goers from enjoying the incredible works of art submitted by talented students from Carmel and University high schools.

Over 132 creative art pieces were on display in gallery space graciously provided by Indiana Artisan Gallery in downtown Carmel. Students competed for $16,000 in scholarships.

The original student artwork included entries from various media forms including charcoal drawings, pencil sketches, pastels, oil paintings, watercolors, acrylic, photography, digital design, jewelry, sculptures, textiles, and more.

Both Art Department Chairs, Jenn Bubp at Carmel H.S. and Tasha Barger at University H.S., said they were delighted by the variety and quality of items submitted for the show. Each teacher added that they were grateful to the Indiana Artisan Gallery for providing the exhibit space.

“The Carmel International Arts Festival plays a huge role for our students’ artistic development and confidence levels, Bubp said. “Our students are incredibly humbled and honored to be selected to show their work in this prestigious event and to receive positive support from seasoned artists and community members.”

The nine scholarships funded directly by CIAF were awarded as follows: The Rosemary Waters Excellence in the Arts award ($2,500) went to Milla Betley (University) for her resin sculpture owl mask. The Best of Show awards ($1,500 each) went to Ella Gua (CHS) for the oil painting “Girl with Goldfish,” Megan Xia (Carmel) for the oil painting “Woman in Headscarf,” Avery Dover (Carmel) for the ink drawing “Whimsical Scene,” and Ismail Kheiri (Carmel) for the chalk pastel “Into the Woods.”

The Innovation in the Arts Scholarships ($1,500 each) were awarded to Madelyn Semester (Carmel) for her mixed media soda can sculpture, Elise Quiambao (Carmel) for her fiber arts and needle felting, Erika Lawrence (Carmel) for the copper and brass “Schmoozin’ at the Club,” and Styler Hogg (University) for the silver gelatin photograph “Chain.”

For these awards, the judge was Professor Vance Farrow, who serves as Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Herron School of Art and Design where he has taught for 20 years. He works as both an educator and artist, and his work has been exhibited across the U.S. and internationally. He holds two degrees: a BFA from Murray State University and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati.

An additional $500 award funded by the Carmel Arts Council was given to Lily Rothwell (University) for an exceptional oil painting. Jon Kane, Arts Council judge and former art teacher at Carmel H.S., was amazed by the talent of the student artwork submissions. “This award-winning painting exhibited exceptional talent with great attention to detail, form, color and movement,” he said.

The Indiana Artisan Gallery sponsored two People’s Choice awards ($500 each), which allowed festival goers to vote for their favorite student art piece. Over 1,200 ballots were submitted to select the winners: Aidan Lane (Carmel) for the charcoal drawing “Guitar Player” and August Rumschlag (University) for a photograph of Indiana Dome.

CIAF Board Member Cindy Roberts-Greiner said she is delighted to be the committee chair for the student art show. “Each year of the Festival, I am amazed at the professional and creative talents of student artists,” she said.

Many of the top scholarship winners in the past have gone on to art schools like SCAD, Parsons, and Herron, or they have gone into other creative fields like graphic design, industrial design, and art business/entrepreneurship. Some of the winning students have even gone on to medical school, in part because their experience in the arts helped develop their fine motor skills.

CIAF is a major festival that brings more than 130 artists and 30,000 visitors to the Arts & Design District in Carmel over a two-day event. This is an excellent chance to discover and appreciate the various forms of art, but also to share in the culture and history of the many nationalities who are part of not only the local community but the country. It is an excellent stepping stone for these student artists.

For more information on CIAF, visit carmelartsfestival.org.