News VSHS artists shine at Wamac Art Fair; Staab earns 3D \'Best of Show\'

For the sixth time in seven years (last year was the exception), a Vinton-Shellsburg High School art student has won the "Best of Show" in 3D honor from the Wamac Art Fair. 

Brooklyn Staab, the daughter of Chris and Lisa Staab of Vinton, won the top honor -- and also the student choice award -- with her multi-piece circus set. 

Brooklyn said she tried to base her project on her idea of a traditional circus. She made a lion tamer and lion, an elephant-riding monkey, acrobats, a dog on a ball, as well as a clown, strong man and horse and rider. She used an underglazing technique for much of her color. The lion, says Brooklyn, is her favorite part of the piece; the hardest part of the project was adding all the detail, she said. 

The Wamac Art Fair is the only competition for VSHS artists during the school year. The students' work will be on display during the band/choir concert May 10. 

The following  VSHS aft students attended the WaMaC Art event: Destiny Andrew, Nicole Holder, Amanda Dedrick, Alyssa Bunge, Korey Murdock, Nikel Dedrick, Hannah Hoepner, Paige Rosonke, Connie Upmeyer, Emily Schneider, Brooklyn Staab, Emily Howes-Vonstein, Sarah Siglin, Lewis Williams, Austin Tollefson, Raynee Kraklio, Megan Scarborough, Charity Kies, Nicole Venneman, Caitlyn Martin, Gabby Barnes and Evan Sampson. \\

Other winners with unique pieces included Nicole Holder, who earned a 2nd place honor with a wire sculpture that also used parts of an old typewriter.

Senior Sarah Siglin earned many student votes for her project called "Loose Ends." The piece uses several buttons -- a technique she learned from former teacher Marnie Barnett. Siglin said her piece reflects the anger she felt at the time, when the VSHS Art Department was in the process of reducing its art staff from two to one. 

Top place winners:

Alyssa Bunge received second for in Acrylic Painting.  She painted a very realistic looking picture of a coke bottle, cross pendant, and old license plate, items that remind her of her grandfather. 

Amanda Dedrick took first in Oil Painting.  She painted  a large oil of Caleb Stewart.  The title of her work is, “Breaking Silence.”

"It is a representation of how I feel," says Amanda. "I tend to be a quiet person because I feel that I don't have a voice that people want to hear, but the glass breaking represents my breaking the silence. I biggest thing about this painting was that I wanted to do something emotional, something that would make others feel something when they looked at it.

About the subject of her painting, Amanda says, "I used Caleb as a subject. He is just the model because I can't paint without looking at a picture and I didn't want to do a self portrait."

Third place in mixed-media 2-D went to Connie Upmeyer for a cardboard relief of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Nicole Holder placed second in  mixed media 3-D for a wire sculpture of a dog on the hunt. 

A second place also went to Lewis Williams for a print featuring Japanese writing. 

Also in the printmaking category, Nikel Dedrick placed third for a manga-like character print. 

First and second went to Brooklyn Staab and Austin Tollefson for ceramic sculpture. 

Brooklyn entered an entire circus collection. 

Austin recreated Cerberus the three headed dog from mythology. 

In addition to placing first in ceramic sculpture Brooklyn received “Best of Show 3-D” and The Terry Masterson Student Choice Award.  As implied ,the “student choice” is chosen by all of the art students attending the show.

Students pictured include: Left to right front row: Evan Sampson, Caitlyn Martin, Alyssa Bunge, Sarah Siglin, Korey Murdock, Connie Upmeyer, Brooklyn Staab, Nicole Holder, Megan Scarborough. Back left to right: Austin Tollefson, Nikel Dedrick, Raynee Kraklio, Paige Rosonke, Lewis Williams, Emily Schneider. Not pictured: Gabby Barnes, Amanda Dedrick, Destiny Andrew, Emily Howes Vonstein, Nicole Venneman, Hannah Hoepner, Charity Kies.

See more photos HERE.