As the 11th grade winner of the Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Gabriella Dover, a rising senior at Mountain Home High School, was guaranteed one of 45 spots in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 artWAYS workshop for juniors and seniors taking place June 17-24.

鈥淢y winning piece was a charcoal self-portrait that showed one face that merged into another,鈥� Dover said. 鈥淚t was the first piece I did this year, and it went to the competition and won first in my class! My inner child was really happy with the news. It has boosted my confidence in my art.鈥�

Out of more than 350 submissions, Dover鈥檚 piece 鈥淯ntitled鈥� was one of 65 selected for AMFA鈥檚 62nd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition.

鈥淎MFA鈥檚 Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition (YAA) highlights and showcases incredible artwork by students across the state,鈥� said Patricia Graves, community engagement manager at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. 鈥淎s the only statewide art competition for young artists in Arkansas, grades kindergarten through 12th grade, YAA is an essential program that emphasizes the importance of arts education and arts educators in positively shaping young lives.鈥�

In addition to the Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition, Dover鈥檚 piece also won first place in the charcoal expressive category in the Arkansas Youth Artist Association competition.

During the summer intensive art camp, Dover and the other students learned about screen printing, jewelry making, woodworking, and Mesoamerican art history. Dover said she is most looking forward to the screen printing and jewelry making sessions as well as making new friends.

鈥淭here are not a lot of artists in Mountain Home, so I was very excited to meet people who have the same interests as me,鈥� Dover said.

When she鈥檚 not making art, this talented teen also serves as vice president of Student Council, treasurer of Troop 6560, her high school鈥檚 theater club, and a reporter for the Arkansas Youth Artist Association.

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鈥渁rtWAYS is primarily a community-building and a recruiting program for the School of Art and Design, but it is also a chance for highly motivated visual arts students to spend a week with us in the Windgate Center of Art + Design,鈥� said artWAYS Director AnDi Tompkins, a 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock art outreach specialist. She added that students spend time with professional art faculty, making their own artwork in state-of-the-art studios, classrooms, and labs.

“What we hear over and over from artWAYS students is that they love interacting with our professors and working in university art studios,” Tompkins said. “They enjoy living together in the residence hall and making new friends from all over the state.”

The camp is free thanks to a generous grant from the Windgate Foundation that covers registration, art supplies, meals, and on-campus housing. Sessions this year included Jewelry as Self Expression with Lydia Martin, metalsmithing and jewelry professor; Kinetic Sculpture with Peter Scheidt, woodworking professor; Mesoamerican Art with Dr. Lynne Larsen, art history professor; and Screenprint Factory with David Warren, printmaking professor.

During the day, students rotated through three or four emphasis areas while studying with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock faculty who are also working artists. Students who wanted to continue their instruction participated in Structured Open Studio hours in the evening. They also enjoyed evening activities including a game night, scavenger hunt, water wars, and movie night.

The 44 students from Arkansas who attended the camp are Abby Mullikin, Abigail Martinez, Allyssa Sloan, AnDraya Craig, Aubrey Marsocci, Beryl Baker, Brayden Gallegos, Breanna Smith, Briana Brown, Carma Tart, Caroline Leonard, Conchita Reta, Connor McCallum, Destiny Montgomery, Emily Armstrong, Gabriella Dover, Gray Armstrong, Isabella Freudensprung, Jadon Parks, Jaidyn Givan, Jessalyn Cotten, Kaycee Davis, Kennedy Lucas, Lily Madden, Lindsey Morris, Lola Landreth, Lydia Thomas, Macy Hunt, Maegan/Piper Reeder, Maryn Asbury, Maura Lepes, Meadow McGinnis, Midelys Torres, Natalie Pearson, Natyleigh Jenkins, Nina Peterson, Olivia Tinkle, Olivia George, Olivia Hays, Rhiannon Faulkner, River Higgs, Sam Jaeger, Sam Stoffel, and Zoe Tarbill. Trinity Hart attended from Texas.

The program culminated with a Renaissance Faire and Feast based on this year’s theme, “The Renaissance.”  Students, many elaborately dressed as knights, ladies, and fairies, dined at a long table while a bard played guitar music. Faculty and program staff also wore elaborate period costumes. The faire also featured an exhibition of student art.

鈥淵ou teach them some really basic skills, and they take it and make what they want,鈥� said Professor Martin. 鈥淲hat they make is really a reflection of who they are.鈥�

She said students learned to saw, file, sand, and stamp sheet metal as well as how to change the color of the metal using a torch or liquids. They also got an introduction to creating polymer clay beads, stone setting, and soldering.

Chichita Reta, a Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School senior, said she learned a lot about the versatility of metal when she created an elaborate key.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a time for me to create something that I can treasure and I wanted to make this key because it鈥檚 a complicated design,鈥� she said, adding that she also created a beaded keychain featuring her name and her sister鈥檚 name.

Parks, a senior at Southside High School, said the program gives students a chance to 鈥渟ee new types of art that you really haven鈥檛 seen before. It really is an enriching environment.鈥�

Professor Scheidt gave students the opportunity to explore kinetic sculpture and make artwork that moves. Students worked with wire, collage, and found objects to create a small moving vignette or scene.

In Professor Warren鈥檚 鈥淪creenprint Factory鈥� session, the student artists designed, created, and printed a screenprint. They also learned how to transfer hand-drawn and digital imagery onto a screen.

鈥淪creenprinting was my favorite because you get to take your design and put it on a T-shirt that you can wear any day of the week,鈥� said 鈥淟iv鈥� George, a senior at Heber Springs High School.  鈥淵ou get to present your artwork every day.鈥�

George was among several students who also attended the camp last year. Mongomery, a senior at Parkview Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School, said this year鈥檚 organizers planned more free time and different activities – including the Renaissance event.

鈥淎ll of the classes were interesting and all of the teachers were very supportive,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he environment was super comforting.鈥�

Hart, a junior at Atlanta High School in Texas, said her art teacher told her about the artWAYS camp. 鈥淚鈥檓 really thankful that I had the opportunity to meet fellow artists and find myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淓verybody is so nice – the teachers and the helpers.鈥�

Former campers Sophia Neely and Macey McLaughlin returned as residential counselors this year. Inspired by the camp, they will be returning to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock this fall as freshmen.

鈥淚t actually helped me decide what I wanted to go to college for,鈥� Neely said. 鈥淚 wanted to do art education but I knew that I wanted to do something on the side. So, coming here helped me decide to get a certificate in metalsmithing.鈥�

McLaughlin, who will major in art design, said through the camp, she 鈥渃onnected with other people like me and it showed me that I could be an illustrator.鈥�

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