“Last year I went and saw East’s artwork at the state fair and it was really cool. There were so many different artworks there, but I definitely think our work stood out the most. Hopefully the same will happen this year.”
Elena Shapiro, one of the students representing East in the state fair art competition, was impressed with the work exhibited by East last year. She is excited to go again this year and see her artwork and her peers’ displayed.
Every year, the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh hosts a state-wide visual arts competition where public and private schools compete for cash prizes. Art teachers are allowed to pick a maximum of six students to represent their school. East has entered three times, placing sixth the first time, then third, and then fourth last year. East’s visual arts teacher Elaine Algarra spent last year’s prize money, $250, on new art materials and a new sketchbook for each student.
Students agree that East has a strong body of artists. Another student representing East, Sophie Gabriel, said: “East as a whole has a lot of skilled and talented people and you get to be inspired by so many different people with so many different styles.”
Shapiro is a long-time fan of East’s art program. Ever since she started taking art in elementary school, she has been inspired by the artwork she saw at East.
“I remember when my brother used to come to East, I would look in the Wildcat and see those art pieces that are always displayed and I always thought, wow,” Shapiro said. “I knew I was going to come to East, but I never thought I would be able to make anything to that caliber of artwork. Now that I’m here and actually taking instruction from Mrs. Algarra, I’m producing work that is similar and I’m super happy to have come here and do that because I’ve been making some pretty amazing artwork.”
Algarra is confident in her students’ ability and believes that last year they should have placed higher than fourth. She believes that one reason East did not place as high could be because of a partiality toward Wake County schools. Wake County high schools have won the competition for the last three years.
“They tend to favor Wake County schools,” Algarra said before this year’s judging. “I don’t know if that’s got anything to do with the fact that it’s in Wake County, maybe it would be interesting if they judged it blindly.”
This trend continues as Trinity Academy High School, a private school in Wake County, won first in the general competition this year. Although East didn’t win the general competition, it was awarded the Artarama High School Award sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama. The art will be exhibited in the Kerr Scott Building at the fair until it closes Oct. 27.
ECHHS student artwork presented at N.C. State Fair
