National ceramic art exhibit showcases five OHHS students

A record five students from Frank Jacques’ Pottery X class at Oak Harbor High School will be featured in the National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition.

The exhibition will be held in Seattle March 28 to 31.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Oak Harbor students have been accepted into this exhibit but this is the first time the show will be held this close to home. Jacques will take his class to view the art and participate in workshops, thanks to a grant from the Oak Harbor Education Foundation.

“Having one in is a big deal. It’s really an astonishing thing to have students get into the show,” Jacques said, adding that more than 1,000 students nationwide compete to earn one of only 150 spots.

Oak Harbor selections are: “Northern Lights” by Tatiana Cumming; “Escape” by Shannon Neilon; “Office” by Matt Burgoyne; “Blasting Cup” by Dani Bohnsack; and “Hypothalamus” by Sam Amezquita.

“I was really excited and glad that my piece was being shown in a national exhibit,” Cumming said, holding her piece, which consists of a polar bear on an iridescent vase to represent the king of the north.

“I like to use my hands to create stuff. It’s really interesting and I learn new things,” Cumming, a senior, said. She spent a month working on her project and said she plans to continue to take ceramics classes in college and during her free time.

Cumming also volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club and was recently named Youth of the Quarter. Since seventh grade, she has mentored the children in the club every day after school.

View the winning artwork at www.ohsd.net/ohhs/uploads/u_0_2024.pdf.

 

Contact Whidbey News Times Staff reporter Rebecca Olson at rolson@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5052.

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