Seven Pearland Independent School District students medaled at the State Visual Arts Scholastic Event on April 29-30 in San Marcos. Advancement to State VASE is the highest level of achievement in visual art in Texas.
Three Pearland ISD students received a State Gold Seal Award, in addition to earning state medallions. The Gold Seal is the highest award an art student can receive at the state level from the Texas Art Educator’s Association and it grants the artwork selected a spot in the Gold Seal Exhibit, which lasts seven months.
Students include Dawson High School’s Sophia Fu (with “Grandpa’s Shop”), Pearland High School’s Emily Anderson (with “My His-tree”) and Turner College & Career High School’s Sainsha Baskshi (with “Pearls of Power”). Their art teachers are DHS’s Teri Zuteck, PHS’s Maryam Sohail and TCCHS’s Mark Villalpando.
Also receiving state medallions were DHS’s Aruna Muthupillai and Hannah Patterson, PHS’s Savannah Miller and TCCHS’s Emma Lawrence. Their art teachers are DHS’s Teri Zuteck, PHS’s Alyssa Hartgrove and TCCHS’s Mark Villalpando.
State VASE is the culminating event of the school year for Texas art students and teachers.
Throughout the different competition levels, professional Texas Art Education Association jurors interview students and judge their pieces. During the state event, students have the opportunity to participate in professional workshops, lectures, demonstrations and sketching exercises.
Established in 1994, VASE began with just over 400 student art entries and has since expanded to approximately 31,400 entries in regional events statewide. Only about 2,000 were selected to advance to state.
