Arts Commission Announces 20th Annual Gifts of Gold Arts Celebration

Jayne Kirkpatrick, Director, Public Affairs
Prepared by: John Boyette, Public Affairs Specialist

For more information: Belva Parker, Program Coordinator, Arts Commission, 919-996-3610

Feb. 20, 2013

Arts Commission Announces 20th Annual Gifts of Gold Arts Celebration

More than 100 Wake County students --- kindergarten to high school seniors --- will be represented in the 20th annual Gifts of Gold arts celebration as part of the Pieces of Gold performing arts extravaganza. A temporary art gallery will showcase two- and three-dimensional creations by area students. The artwork will be on display March 12-13 in the lobby of Memorial Auditorium at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. A Gifts of Gold awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium.

The 2013 Gifts of Gold presentation is a collaboration of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Wake County Public School System and the Wake Education Partnership.

“Gifts of Gold provides K-12 visual art students all across the district a chance to share their artwork with the entire community,” said Elizabeth Grimes-Droessler, senior administrator-arts education for the Wake County Public School System. “To have your work adjudicated by some of Raleigh's finest professional artists and then for it to be displayed in an elegant venue like the lobby of Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium is an opportunity of a lifetime!”

The winning artists, their teachers and schools are:

• Best in Show --- Davin Kim, Corneille Little, Cedar Fork Elementary
• First Place Elementary School --- Ava Mayo, MaryBeth Hansley, Holly Springs Elementary
• Second Place Elementary School --- Ramiro Patrana Reys, Rosemary Douna, Zebulon Elementary
• Third Place Elementary School --- Tanvi Komaragiri, Sonya Drum, Washington Elementary
• First Place Middle School --- Lauren Matsumura, Elizabeth Rawls, Carnage Middle
• Second Place Middle School --- Jacob Grady, Lisa Peszko, Zebulon GT Middle
• Third Place Middle School --- Kayla Davis, Ann Foster, Dillard Drive Middle
• First Place High School --- Kevin Lee, Farrall Hilton, Athens Drive High
• Second Place High School – Brennan Lewis, Susan Euler, Enloe High
• Third Place High School – Kenneth Feliciano Ortiz, Brenda Brokke, Apex High
• First Place 3-D Art – Kevin Liu, Rebekah Arrington, Mills Park Middle
• Second Place 3-D Art – Nhyla Bryant, Terry McManus, Harris Creek Year Round Elementary; and,
• Third Place 3-D Art – Anna Edstrom, Ray Puckett, Enloe High.

Wake County art teachers were encouraged to submit two- or three-dimensional student art as part of Gifts of Gold. Images of the winning artwork and a complete list of student participants are available online.

“The Gifts of Gold art show gives Wake County students of all ages the opportunity to showcase their creative development,” said Raleigh artist Bob Rankin, a Gifts of Gold judge.  “The quality of the work is a true testimony to the excellence and power of Wake County art educators. The work will be seen by several thousand people during the Pieces of Gold celebration.”

For more information about Gifts of Gold, contact Belva Parker, program director for the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, at 919-996-4683 or email belva.parker@raleighnc.gov.

Established in 1977 as the official advisory body and advocate for the arts to the Raleigh City Council, the City of Raleigh Arts Commission holds the distinction of being the first municipal arts commission created in North Carolina. Serving as the leading force to champion the arts with Raleigh citizens and their representatives, the Arts Commission’s myriad activities foster, support and promote the arts in the Capital City.