|
 On Monday morning, 4-H Non-original Visual Arts
and 4-H Visual Arts and general 4-H projects judging took place with
hundreds of outstanding entries for judges to consider. The
entries are made from various media and may be original or
non-original.
To create their artwork, the young artists may use media such as
paper, clay, fiber, wood, chalk/carbon/pigment, glass/plastic, metal
and nature.
Original arts are designs created entirely by the exhibitor, while
non-original arts are made from either kits, pre-printed designs, or
pre-molded pieces.
The artwork is judged for its craftsmanship, originality, and
creativity, though these areas are only a small portion of the total
score. 4-H members must also have a general knowledge of various art
concepts and be able to provide judges with a detailed explanation
of their project.
Some of the general projects include floriculture, vegetable
gardening, environmental science, leadership, natural resources and
robotics.
Judges say they consider how well 4-H members explain their project
goals, their reasons for choosing the project, their decisions, and
their results, as well as providing a self-evaluation of what they
could have done differently.
Additionally, the 4-Hers must describe skills they learned and any
techniques and design elements they used in their project.
Judges also ask the kids about themselves to relate to them
personally and make them feel more at ease.
Dennis Campbell, who judges the environmental science section where
kids explore the environment and learn to be good stewards of the
environment said he likes to ask participants why they were
interested in their project, what their background is and how the
project will impact how they care for the environment.
In the floriculture department, judges shared their overall
observations of the arrangements.
Both during and after judging, the judges make comments telling
participants where they did well, as well as how and where they
could improve. The “minute” details can be significant.
For example, in the photography area, judge Mitch Douglas looked at
the details of the photos and showed one participant where he could
have changed the focus, so that one part of the photo was more
notable.
Several 4-H members did projects using various
media and entered both visual and non-visual projects, while others
focused on one project. Most have been working on their projects for
the past few months, though some work right up until the deadline.
[to top of second column] |
Some participants have been entering projects for
many years, but there are also several entering projects for the
first time.
First year participant Ashten Wolf did an original visual arts
project by painting a beach scene, and entered cucumbers that won a
blue ribbon. Wolf said she enjoyed learning to grow cucumbers and
loves doing art.
Aiden Wilson, another first-time participant, did a woodworking
project of a popsicle stand. Wilson said he had been doing
woodworking for several years and decided to enter a project this
year.
Ellie Wrage is in her first year of 4-H, though she was previously a
Cloverbud. Her 4-H project was veterinary science and represented
four different kinds of suture material used for stitches. For an
original visual arts project, Wrage made an all-natural candle
holder and said she used branches and bark she found in her yard.
Ten-year-old Madison Wurth entered a photo for the second year.
Wurth said she has her own camera and used a zoom lens to take a
close-up photo of a yellow rose. Wurth’s other 4-H project was
growing corn and potatoes.
Saristen Morgan, who will be a senior, said she just started back in
4-H after not being in it for a while. For her last year in 4-H,
Morgan entered four different projects that included a painting of a
dog, a clay sculpture of a face, a photograph and a scrapbook.
Ruth Lessen is also in her last year of 4-H and said she is a
10-year-veteran of doing projects for the fair. Lessen entered three
floriculture projects that included Black-eyed Susans for a
perennial flower, begonias for an annual flower, and lilies for
mixed perennials. In the visual arts category, Lessen did a fiber
project where she crocheted a basket from rags, a paper project that
was a mosaic made of magazine photos and a heritage arts project
that involved weaving a hammock. Lessen said she enjoys being
creative and doing projects.
After years of having done visual arts projects, Klarissa Helton did
a leadership project which includes creating a binder of activities.
Helton had to speak to group and interact with people, answering
questions for the book. Helton said doing these projects are less
nerve wracking after years of participating.
As always, the visual and non-visual arts and general 4-H projects
section showcased the talents of many youth from around Logan
County.
Winning entries will be displayed in the Expo Building
throughout the week of the fair.
[Angela Reiners]
 |
