Coffelt Student Art Show
Overview
The Coffelt Student Art Show began in coordination with the Shenandoah County Public Schools as a way to select artwork to represent Shenandoah County at the Virginia School Board Association Spring Art Show, whose requirements include selection by a panel of judges. For two decades, Cregg and Sandy Coffelt, who retired from the Woodstock Gallery and Frame Shoppe in 2019, donated art supplies to the winning middle and high school artists in the Student Art Show. As a way to honor their commitment to supporting the creative arts, the same year, VECCA’s board members voted to rename the exhibition in honor of the Coffelts.
The 2024 Coffelt Student Art Show was a huge success thanks to volunteers at VECCA, the art teachers at SCPS, and over 200 community members who supported our student artists by being present on Saturday, March 9th during the opening reception.
A special thank-you to Shenandoah County Tourism & Economic Development for a 2024 Support of Local Arts Grant, which was partially supported by the Local Government Challenge Grant by Virginia Commission for the Arts. This grant helped fund the art show.
This year, in VECCA’s 40th year of connecting the community with the creative arts, we received 84 pieces of art made by Shenandoah County youth in the Coffelt Student Art Show. The show was blindly judged by five practicing artists in the area: Kate Duffy, Penelope Carroll, Theresa Markiw, Caitlin Garvey, and Annalise Kiser. I’m pleased to announce the winners:
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL (K-5th)
Awards of Merit (honorable mention)
- Emsley Hernandez for the sketch, Eagle with American Flag. Emsley is in 4th grade at Sandy Hook.
- Gratian Kohrs for his photograph, Looking Up. Gratian is a homeschooled 4th grader.
- Bronwyn Day for the mixed media art, Allie’s Painting. Bronwyn is a 5th grader at WW Robinson.
Awards of Excellence
MIDDLE SCHOOL (6th-8th)
Awards of Merit (honorable mention)
- Yaretzi Hernandez-Robles for the watercolor, Fall Mountains. Yaretzi is in 7th grade at North Fork.
- Ava Mullins for the permanent marker & watercolor perspective drawing, Cityscape. Ava is in 6th grade at Signal Knob.
- Carter Steed for the pencil & marker drawing, Optical Illusion Web. Carter is in 8th grade at Peter Muhlenberg.
Awards of Excellence
HIGH SCHOOL (9th-12th)
Awards of Merit (honorable mention)
- Nicole Wolfe for the watercolor and ink drawing, The Bleak Within Color. Nicole is a 10th grader at Central High School.
- Devon McCombs for the mixed media art, Bubbles. Devon is a 12th grader at Mountain View High School.
- Leah Diehl for the oil painting, Parrot. Leah is a 12th grader at Mountain View High School.
Awards of Excellence
Pictured: 1st place of High School Group – Ronisa Johnson
Now more than ever the creative arts are a vital heartbeat that brings our community together in positive ways despite our different perspectives. It was such a joy to see the supportive community that turned out for our young artists on Saturday. I hope you will take the time to experience their hard work, as well, if you were unable to do so this weekend – I know the art will bring a smile to your face, too, and remind you of the importance of celebrating diversity among our neighbors.
Thank you again to all the students, sponsors, judges, and family and friends that helped make it all possible. See you next year!
