On Mar. 1, 26 students competed at Region for the Visual Art Scholastic Event (VASE). Siblings Hamilton McCoy, ‘28, and Evan McCoy, ‘26, will now compete at State on April 25-26. Artwork is submitted online, prior to the competition date. At region, students are interviewed about their pieces, their inspiration and the process. Students can submit a piece they have already created or begin a project specifically for VASE.
“I’ve been working on a painting over the summer for a long time, and I really wanted to put it towards something like an art competition,” Hamilton said. “I was working on it every single day for hours. It took me a week and a half to do.”
At region, artwork is given a score ranging from one to four, with four being the best score. Twenty five pieces from the students received a four. Judges then select artwork from those that received a four to advance to state.
“You’ll have a judge that you talk to and then they’ll bring in a few others to get the final score,” Hamilton said. “It’s not just like one judge says you go to state, it’s a panel.”
When creating their pieces, students develop a thesis to show the meaning behind their work.
“I was inspired by lazy family mornings,” Hamilton said. “Just waking up in the morning, having breakfast with my family and spending time with them. I really value that quality time, so I wanted to personify that in the artwork.”
A large amount of time is dedicated to creating the pieces. For Evan, this was the biggest obstacle he faced while creating his piece.
“I was working every night for a couple hours and it gets old sometimes,” Evan said. “You just have to keep pushing.”
Hamilton has been competing in the VASE competition for a few years; however, this is her first year competing at the high school level. Evan has also competed in VASE previously and has been to state a few times.
“I’m excited to have somebody I know going who’s been there before,” Hamilton said. “It’s like, I don’t have to face everything alone. I’m also excited to be more connected in this district’s art community.”
For Evan and Hamilton, their dad is their biggest inspiration. He pursued an education in art while in college.
“He’s the biggest inspiration for all of the pieces that I do,” Evan said. “Art runs in the family, and personally, I just love being able to express myself.”
