By RORY MOORE
FHSU News
Fort Hays State University’s Department of Art and Design hosted the 50th High School Art Day across campus on Wednesday, April 16.
The event attracted students from Kansas High Schools to a day of engagement with FHSU faculty and staff, and art in the Schmidt Foundation Center for Art and Design Building. The students also participated in a sidewalk art competition, met with professors to learn about Fort Hays Art Department program offerings, and displayed their works for an exhibition inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The day began with a chalk art event on the sidewalk next to the Art and Design Building. Visiting students presented their interpretations of numerous concepts, including renderings of their school mascots, Fort Hays State’s Victor E. Tiger mascot, and other themes.
Melissa Granberry, Norton Community High School teacher, noted that her students look forward to Art Day every year. Granberry said she thinks Art Day will have long-term benefits for her students after their exposure to the art programs and techniques at Fort Hays, along with the works of the other High Schools.
“It helps them not necessarily compare themselves to other students but bring back ideas and either see that they need to work harder if they want to win awards or get confidence to see their stuff is pretty good,” Granberry said. “It’s also nice for the freshman because they don’t always get to work with the seniors. They encourage the first- and second-year students to work harder or dig deeper with their ideas.”
After the sidewalk art competition finished, the students toured campus to explore majors and programs for an art career and learn how FHSU can help them develop their skills.
The day concluded with students viewing the exhibition in Gross Memorial Coliseum and receiving prizes for their pieces. Cesar Morales, Garden City High School, won Best of Show and the $1,000 Earl O. and Winona M. Field Scholarship for his charcoal piece ‘No Time to Die.”
Lauren Sargent, FHSU senior administrative assistant of art and design, was a principal organizer of the 50th High School Art Day and was instrumental in adding new elements to the tradition.
“It feels good to offer more opportunities to prospective students,” she said. “We’ve added first, second, and third place awards to every school and a ‘Best of Show’ award. So many different people have come together to pull this off and help me, but it feels good to keep doing more and better every year.”
Sargent said she wanted Art Day to encourage creativity in students by expanding their artistic capabilities.
“We’re creative chaos here,” she said. "We encourage that communication and willingness to try anything and have fun with it. We hope it shows that our area at Fort Hays is the place to be, especially for young artists.”
For additional information about High School Art Day, contact Lauren Sargent at 785-628-4247 or by email at [email protected].
More information can be found at https://www.fhsu.edu/art-and-design/news-and-events/.