Wyoming
(PHOTOS) Wyoming high school artists share works at annual symposium
CASPER, Wyo. — Thousands of Wyoming art students showcased pieces Thursday at the annual Wyoming High School Art Symposium, hosted at the Ford Wyoming Center.
Josh Dillinger, a Campbell County arts teacher and the president of the Wyoming Secondary Art Educators Association, said roughly 4,630 works are on display this year.
“Almost every district has at least one school represented here,” he said. “It’s a chance for students and teachers to highlight their best work and share what’s been made for the last nine months of the school year.”
Dillinger added that the symposium saw a drop in participation in the years immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic, though he said the number of submitted works has been steadily rising back to pre-pandemic levels.
Art on display includes both 2D and 3D works across a wide range of mediums. Dillinger said each teacher has a different process and criteria for determining what to bring.
Just under a quarter of the pieces are given a blue ribbon by a panel of distinguished artists. From those, the top 25 are singled out and showcased on their own as Congressional Award winners, which will be sent to Rep. Harriet Hageman’s office in D.C. The 3D pieces were similarly given the Art Discovery Award, though Dillinger said those would not be taken to the capital for logistical reasons.
“It’s not a competition per se, but that doesn’t mean the students don’t see it as one,” Dillinger said with a chuckle. “Often, students will ask, ‘Why wasn’t my piece chosen?’ and then they come here and say, ‘Oh, that’s why.’
“Then in the following year, you see the growth and ideation. … This is a big deal for them.”
The symposium also features a silent auction and raffle to benefit art students throughout the state. Workshops throughout the event help the students hone their craft as well.
Ultimately, Dillinger said, the symposium is proof of the artistic skill throughout the entirety of the Equality State.
“I really think Wyoming’s high school art students stand among the best in the entire country,” he said. “I was talking to my Natrona County counterparts yesterday, and we agreed that the foundational skills of our high school students are on par with many of our peers at collegiate levels.”
The symposium wraps up Friday, and will be open from 9 a.m. to noon.
