Boys & Girls Club of Portage County Participate in National Fine Arts Program

For the City-Times

The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County is one of thousands of Clubs across the country joining in a search to identify talented young artists. The competition is part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) National Fine Arts Exhibit, a comprehensive initiative promoting young people’s creativity, and encouraging artistic skills and cultural enrichment.

This year’s 2014 Youth of Portage County Fine Arts Exhibit was held at Mark Toyota and Scion in Plover and over 140 pieces of artwork will be displayed there for the month of January. All Stevens Point Area Schools, along with Almond Bancroft Elementary and High School and members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portage County, participated in the 2014 Youth of Portage County’s Fine Art Exhibit.

As participants in the National Fine Arts Exhibit program, the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County will be submitting children’s artwork in four age divisions and 10 categories including watercolor, pastel, oil, acrylic and collage prints. The finalists in 2-D artwork are: Lainey Koch (SPASH), Stephanie Landis (SPASH), Tori Nieman (Ben Franklin Jr. High), Rachel Kawleski (PJ Jacobs), Ashli Vang (PJ Jacobs), Sarah Czaikowski (Ben Franklin Jr. High), Hannah Siegel (Ben Franklin Jr. High), Brooklyn Brown (Madison Elementary), Oliver Lind (Washington Elementary). For 3-D artwork, the finalists are: Coddy Meddaugh (Almond Bancroft High School), Haley Schraufnagel (SPASH), Tiffani King (BGC Teen Center), Candace Lein (Almond Bancroft Elementary School). These selected pieces of art will be screened at the Midwest regional level and a limited number will be sent to BGCA’s Atlanta headquarters for judging at the national level.

Thirty-seven national winners will be named, with their artwork displayed at special events throughout the year.

Winning artists will also receive engraved plaques and letters of congratulations from BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark. Regional finalists will receive a certificate of participation.

Located at 1007 Ellis Street, the Boys & Girls Club has served the youth of Portage County for 11 years. The Club provides programs for more than 1100 boys and girls in three priority outcome areas: Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bgclubpc or visit our website at www.bgclubpc.org.