Last autumn, we began asking for entries for our 14th annual calendar art contest that’s open to all Indiana students. Over 3,000 pieces of art were created for the contest. These are our judges’ picks for the 2012 calendar …

Colorful works of art picked for calendar

A kaleidoscope is the tubular toy of tiny mirrors and colorful glass that spins to create ever-shifting patterns of color. In general use, a kaleidoscope is an ever-changing pattern or sequence. The 14th annual electric Cooperative Calendar of Student Art contest reflects the shifting notion of both meanings.

The contest’s wall calendar, to be made available by participating electric cooperatives around the state and Electric Consumer in early autumn, will once again be illustrated with the winning art on the right. The works display every color in varying forms. The calendar itself will create an ever-changing sequence from each grade, kindergarten through high school senior, for the ever-changing seasons of the year.

The artwork follows a natural progression through the calendar, starting with first grade art illustrating January, second grade February and so on through the 12 grades and 12 months. The kindergarten-winning entry will appear on the cover. Nine additional works were selected as honorable mentions and will appear in the back of the calendar.

“As judges, we look for originality of subject matter and command of medium,” noted Marianne Wiggers, one the contest’s judges. “We were not disappointed with this year’s emerging artists. From kindergarten to 12th grade, we had an amazing pool of creative art from which to choose.”

The contest, sponsored by Electric Consumer and participating locally-owned electric cooperatives, enters its second year of cooperation with the Hoosier Salon to expand the outreach of both groups. Hoosier Salon is the distinguished 87-year-old organization of Indiana artists, galleries and art patrons.

The Salon hosted a reception for last year’s winners at the Indiana State Museum in downtown Indianapolis. Another reception or event is being planned for this year’s winners. In addition, the winning works are once again being scheduled to tour the Salon’s three galleries in Wabash, New Harmony and Indianapolis. Details are still being sketched.

Cash prizes for the contest were: $200 for all grade division winners; and $50 for honorable mention winners. The “Artist of the Year” earned an additional $100. Among this year’s cash-prize winning group are five previous winners.

Stephanie Pitman, a home-educated senior from Clinton County, earned the “Artist of the Year” title with a watercolor that was judged “Best of Show” (please see sidebar). She’s now one of only two students in the contest’s 14 years to have won her grade division four times. Last year’s “Artist of the Year,” Heidi Ziebarth, returns as the sixth grade winner with a mosaic of a water bird based on a photo she made on the lake behind her house.

Other past winners returning this year as honorable mention winners are: junior Amanda Whaling; sixth grader Brooks Walker and sixth grader Zuha Ali. Honorable mention works appear in a special back section of the calendar.

Zuha is instructed by C.J. Fang, a private art teacher in West Lafayette. Her students have consistently done well in the contest since the mid-2000s. This year, Fang’s students also won the first and second grade divisions, pictured on page 4, and another honorable mention which went to first grader Andrew Zhao.

For the 12th straight year, the upcoming calendar also will feature the work of at least one Whitko High School student. Senior Katherine Hippensteel won an honorable mention to keep the school’s record-setting streak alive.

Other students to win an honorable mention were: sophomores Michelle Hendricks and Savannah Hoskinson; fourth grader Isha Bhatnagar; and kindergartner Lilee Stetzel.

One other prize of note: Meg Taggart, the fourth grade division winner, follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Lily, who won the sixth grade division last year.

The calendar, which will also contain electric co-op information, will be available at participating REMCs/RECs around the state in early autumn. Details of its availability will be published in future editions of Electric Consumer.

And the winners are…

* Stephanie Pitman won "Best of Show." Click here to read a profile on the home-educated high school senior.

• Go to our thumbnail gallery of the first place winners from the 13 previous student art contests

• Go to the May 2011 contents page