The ceramic work of three Byram Hills High School students was displayed at the prestigious National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition, and two students were honored with awards for artistic merit.
The show coincided with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts annual conference, drawing an audience of thousands. The juried exhibit featured the best ceramic works created by K-12 students from around the nation.
Byram Hills senior Carissa Chung and juniors Summer Feng and Eve Nepo had pieces in the show, held March 20-22 in Richmond, Virginia.
For her piece “White Rabbit,” Carissa won an Artistic Merit Award along with The Ernst Family Scholarship, which provides $1,000 for tuition. Her work is a rabbit body with a plaster-cast hand representing the head.
“I'm grateful for the opportunity to have my work shown to so many people and am so thrilled that jurors found my work to be resonant in some way,” Carissa said. “Thank you to everyone who has supported and believed in me and my art.”
Eve, who created “Cerberus Pot,” also won an Artistic Merit Award. Her piece is a coil pot with a sculptural lid in the form of Cerberus, the three-headed dog in mythology that guards the underworld.
“I'm so honored to have my piece recognized at the national level,” Eve said. “Receiving an Artistic Merit Award validates all my effort and motivates me to keep creating.”
She thanked Byram Hills art teacher Amy Menasche “for her guidance and for always encouraging me.”
Twelve Artistic Merit Awards are given to students in 11th and 12th grade. The show was made up of 150 pieces, chosen from 1,169 entries.
"I was excited to have three students selected for this important show," Mrs. Menasche said. "That they won additional awards there is a great honor."
