Annual art exhibit returns to Scottish Rite Temple

Fort Scott, Kan. -- For the last 16 years, the Bourbon County Arts Council's annual Fine Arts Competition and Exhibit has given artists from the Midwest and other parts of the country a chance to showcase their talents.

Artists will get that chance once again this year when the 17th annual event begins with a reception for participating artists and the contest's judging at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 11, at the Scottish Rite Temple, 110 S. Main St. Following this event, the art exhibit will be open to the public for viewing between noon and 7 p.m., daily, through April 13, at the temple.

The art contest allows artists 16 years of age and older to display their artwork in one of several featured categories, including painting, sculpture, fiber, ceramics, jewelry, drawing and graphics, mixed media, pastels and photography.

A total of $1,550 in cash awards will be presented to first place winners in each category and two Best in Show winners, all of whom will be chosen by a qualified art judge. The winner of a popular vote will be selected by patrons who visit the exhibit and vote for their favorite piece.

First place winners will each receive $100; winners of Best in Show for Two-dimensional and Three-dimensional projects will each receive a $200 prize; and the winner of the popular vote will be awarded $50, BCAC Executive Director Peggy Cummings said.

Cummings said the contest draws artists from Kansas and Missouri each year, and other states including Vermont and Florida. About 15 to 20 percent of the total entrants are high school or college students, including area high school art students and art students from Johnson County Community College.

There were 132 entries in last year's competition, but Cummings said she will not know the total amount of entries this year until closer to the date the exhibit opens.

"We're getting entries in every day," she said. "On the last day is when we'll get about 90 percent of the entries. One year, we had about 150 entries but that was unusual."

The contest draws about the same number of people each year, and hasn't changed much the last few years, other than the fact that a majority of the entries each year are people who have never participated in the contest before, Cummings said.

"In the last five years, it's stayed pretty much the same," she said. "The interesting thing has been that we have new people every year, and that speaks a lot to the quality of the exhibit itself and the work that is there. About 70 percent of the entries are new people."

The judge for this year's contest will be Steven Greenwall, an art professor at Allen County Community College in Iola.

Greenwall, who also served as a judge during the art contest six years ago, won the Best in Show prize for the Two-dimensional category during last year's contest, Cummings said.

Each year, judges choose the winners of the contest -- other than the winner of the popular vote -- and also spend time with the artists, reviewing their work and offering tips and advice concerning their particular style of art and ways to improve or enhance their work. Judges must possess at least a master's degree due to the number of artistic categories involved in the contest, Cummings said.

The exhibit and contest is partially funded by the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The fee to enter the contest is $7.50 per entry, and the deadline for all entries is March 2.

Entry forms may be picked up at 116 S. Main St., or requested by calling Cummings at (620) 223-2410 or (620) 223-6159.