WAIMEA — Waimea Arts Council, located at the Firehouse Gallery in the center of town, celebrates National Youth Art Month in March with the 33rd Annual Na Opio Youth Art Show and Competition. The show features young artists from grades 6-12 from schools and home schooled students in the North and South Kohala and Hamakua districts.
The event has provided an opportunity for young artists’ works to be shown to the public for many years, sometimes leading to their own one-person shows. Some have even gone on to professional art careers having had their start with the Na Opio.
Students from Parker School, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Waikoloa School and Honokaa High School participated in this year’s competition. First place winners include Parker sixth-grader Kehea Gaglione, Parker seventh-grader Anuhea Elliot, Waikoloa eight-grader Zachary Van Horn, Parker ninth-grader Gracelyn Jardine, Parker 10th grader Anna Gaglione, Parker 11th grader Bradley Bolinger and Parker 12th grader Kenzie Nelson.
Second and third place winners are HPA sixth-graders Sana Yamakawa and Anolani Liu; Parker seventh-grader Amanda Black and Waikoloa School student Pristine Dahilos; eighth-graders Greg Parks from HPA Middle School and Keegan Mattson from Waikoloa School; Parker ninth-grader Ryanne Doherty and Lilliana Ryan Canario-Carvalho from Honokaa High School; Parker sophomores Annie Pham and Maya Ellsworth; Parker juniors Mathias Migliorini-Marchese and Kawena Ching; and Parker seniors Kawe Lincon and Eric Fetch.
Awards will be presented to the first, second and third place winners at a reception at Firehouse Gallery on Sunday from 3-5 p.m.
The judge for the 33rd Annual Na Opio is Carrie Edgil, who teaches middle school special education at Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School. She is passionate about integrating visual arts into the core curriculum, and believes that art education is critical to healthy child development.
Edgil has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in the arts of teaching, as well as California and Hawaii teaching credentials for elementary education, and an additional teaching authorization in art, qualifying her to teach two-dimensional art, three-dimensional art, and art history and appreciation. Some of her artistic skills include printmaking, mural painting, photography, sculpture, woodworking and stained glass.