The Southwestern Kansas League Juried High School Art Exhibition and the closing reception and awards ceremony were held Friday, April 5 at Great Bend High School.

During open viewing of the show, attendees voted for the people’s choice award. An on-the-spot art contest was open to anyone in attendance with a prize for the winner. Hors d’oeuvres were available from the Panther Paw Restaurant.

The exhibition was created in 2018 as a collaborative effort between Garden City and Great Bend teachers to create a league that involved the WAC schools. Liberal and Hays were also involved in the initial planning stages and after about a year of discussion, the show was born. Garden City hosted the show in 2018 and included participation from Garden City, Great Bend and Liberal. This year, Great Bend elected to host and the same schools participated in the exhibition. 

“Some of our students have competed for years on the football field, on the mat, on the court and on the track, but never against each other in the artistic arena,” said Sergio Ramirez, GBHS art teacher. “We felt it was very important to create a show that allowed the students another forum to let their abilities shine. We hope to eventually involve all WAC schools and will push to let these first two years begin a tradition of artistic competition.”