High school students in grades 11 and 12 from throughout the region recenty had the opportunity to submit their artwork to Crisp Museum at Southeast's River Campus.

The exhibit, titled "Exhibiting Excellence," showcased art pieces from local high school students and ran through March 28.

Sabrina Henson, Scott City High School senior student, said she enjoyed the exhibit, as art is something she enjoys doing in her free time.

"This exhibit meant a lot," Henson said. "I believe art makes the world a better place, and I really enjoyed seeing the different art pieces presented from different schools."

This year, teachers at local high schools were allowed to submit a total of 15 artwork entries by their students. Art teachers were contacted when their students' artwork was accepted for display.

Louise Bodenheimer, Southeast professor head of graphic design and illustration, was the juror for this year's exhibition. Bodenheimer is the designer of the "Musical Heritage Mural" on the Shivelbines Music Store building in downtown Cape Girardeau.

In the past years, the exhibit has included an awards ceremony; however, because of Covid-19, the ceremony was hosted online at www.semo.edu/museum beginning Feb. 28. The award ceremony presented first-, second- and third-place awards beginning Feb. 28 to the young artists in the categories of ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculptures, fibers, mixed media, photography, digital art and graphic design.

The exhibited awards are eligible for a "Best of Show Award," which consists of giving students the opportunity to receive a $1,000 Southeast scholarship if they pursue an art major at Southeast.

After touring the exhibit, Scott City High School art teacher Richard Conaway said he encourages young artists to keep pursuing their passion.

"Keep producing artwork with meaning, strive for excellence, always do your best, and you will accomplish many things," Conaway said.

Museum manager Jim Phillips said the exhibit was a fun way for students to be creative and show families the possibilities of success outside the go-to-college standard post-high-school-graduation plan.

"It's really a fun show — it's fun for the kids to do their work, and it's fun for the families to sorta see what's possible outside of the standard go-to-college model or getting a job," Phillips said.

For more information on this high school art exhibition, visit www.semo.edu/museum.