2022 Senior High School Juried Art Exhibit Winners Announced

Yocum Institute for Arts Education hosted the 2022 Annual Senior High School Juried Art Exhibit. The Opening Reception & Award Ceremony was held on Sunday, January 30, 2022 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. The exhibit will run until February 13, 2022.

Each year, the Yocum Institute for Arts Education welcomes aspiring young artists from Berks County to submit their work for a juried exhibit to be held at the Yocum Institute. This provides students with an opportunity to present their original works of art to the public in a professional gallery setting as well as compete for cash prizes and tuition to Institute classes.

The competition is open to all full-time Senior High school students that reside in or attend school in Berks County. The original work presented features oil, watercolor, mixed media, acrylic paint, sculpture, and 3D art.

2022 High School Juried Exhibit Winners:

[Award winners in the top categories also receive a full scholarship to a class of their choice]

The exhibit was judged by this year’s Coggins Award Recipient, Amanda Lee Condict. The Coggins Award recognizes artists who embrace the values Jack Coggins exhibited: creativity, innovation, and service to the Yocum Institute and the community. The recipient is chosen from nominations submitted by members of the artistic community.

Amanda Lee Condict has studied at Kutztown University, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Empire State College. An illustrator and designer, she has always worked in graphic arts and publishing, first as an illustrator for a department store, then as art director of a monthly magazine and finally as the owner of a graphic design and illustration studio. She has illustrated for books, magazines and catalogs, created t-shirt and textile designs and done commissioned portraits. Amanda teaches in the fashion department at Albright College; operates Vincent van BYO, a painting party studio; and paints murals, mostly as community projects with area schools. She was a forensic sketch artist on an episode of “The Dead Files,” and serves on several area arts committees including Berks Art Alliance, Clay on Main, Berks Arts Council’s Roundtable, and as an administrator of the Sketching Workshop, an international organization of artists. She has shown her work at various local galleries, and has also curated and had artwork in “The Female Gaze,” which has shown in various galleries in Pennsylvania.

Judge’s Statement: I always love to see student work and this year’s High School Art Show was no exception. The work that was entered showcases some of the most talented young artists in Berks County and their skills are impressive. Some of the portraits, in particular, blew me away. I had a difficult time narrowing down the choices for awards but finally decided on these works.

Coggins Award: Mary Brubaker’s charcoal portrait had everything I look for when judging: compelling subject matter, technical proficiency, excellent composition, and good use of many design principles, most notably contrast.

Community Award: Kenlee Gollub’s mixed media collage had many layers of meaning, a thought-provoking mix of modern mass media personalities and vintage botanical and scientific ephemera.

Ist Place: Madalyn Wilcynski’s acrylic painting of gummy bears is a hyperrealistic triumph. She has even managed to imbue the candy with its trademark translucency, not an easy feat.

2nd Place: Angelie Rescigno has mastered graphite in her photorealistic rendering especially of the model’s clothing and the red banner flowing through the background adds a strong graphic element.

3rd Place: Brittany Truong’s evocative seascape displays her mastery of brushwork
and understanding of color.

Honorable Mentions
Olivia Biancone has created what could be an illustration from an ancient and mysterious book, a lot of symbolism in a simplified color palette that works well to set the mood. Jinyan Chen has used a combination of subtle gradations and masterful linework to bring this portrait to life. Reese Dauber’s pumpkin field shows his mastery of perspective and a good understanding of color and value. Mia Davis has exquisitely rendered a partially submerged face using pointillism to create a good range of values. Dani Ha has handled a very unusual and difficult perspective to her advantage, pulling the viewer into the scene from a child’s vantage point. Mia Herner’s creamer and sugar set is fun, funky, and reminiscent of a setting from a fairy tale. Jordan Newton uses strong contrast and a tight crop to create a highly stylized graphic depiction of autumn leaves.