Two art students advanced to state on Feb. 21 in the Visual Art Scholarship Event, which recognizes exemplary student achievement in the visual arts. Junior Jasmine Ochoa and freshman Nicole Rodriguez each advanced to the state VASE competition in Dallas on April 24-25.

Rodriguez said she created her art piece due to a nationwide problem which individuals need to take notice of and act upon to halt its horrifying advances. Her piece is a photo of a child sitting solemnly against the wall as she is subjected and tormented by her parents arguing in front of her in shadows against the wall.

“The reason I made this piece was because it sends a strong message to parents,” Rodriguez said. “This piece expresses divorce among parents and their children. Parents think that their divorce will only harm themselves, but in reality, it will cause their children to suffer, and parents have to acknowledge that.”

The title Rodriguez’s piece is Why?.

“The child is questioning the parents’ motives,” Rodriguez said. “She is thinking, ‘Why are my parents fighting? Why are they divorcing?’”

Rodriguez said it took her three hours to complete her art piece in what she described as a “sort of do-it-now-or-never situation”.

Ochoa’s state-qualifying project is a sculpture.

“I really didn’t have an inspiration for my art piece,” Ochoa said. “I was just messing with clay, and it came about.”

Her title for the piece, however, came about because of the way her art piece turned out.

“I named it Bone Dry because the way it came out,” Ochoa said. “I imagined my art piece having to do with dryness and how I sculpted it.”

The message her piece was a commentary of life.

“Bone Dry shows how when we were young and pretty in the beginning, but it is all for nothing in the end,” Ochoa said. “In the end, we are bone dry and just end up dying, and it is very sad.”

VASE competitors fill out paperwork as well as interview before a judge as part of the competition. Projects range from paintings and drawings to sculpture and photography.

These students also took medals in VASE competition at Frenship High School on Feb. 21: sophomore Nick Acosta, freshman Gertruda Boschman, junior Christina Dyck, junior Nancy Dyck, senior Austin Edwards, senior Michael Elias, senior America Estepan, junior Sara Fehr, senior LizzieGillespie, freshman Jerimia Harms, junior Kenzie Ivins (with two art pieces), senior Erynn James, junior Morgan Jaquez, sophomore Bethany Jones, freshman Dominic Knelsen, junior Jennifer Knelsen, junior Miracle Lerma, junior Jocelin Loewen, sophomore Carlos Martinez, junior Emily Medrano, sophomore Maggie Najera, junior Abygail Navarro, senior Esther Neufeld, junior Jasmine Ochoa, sophomore Rosa Peters, senior Tori Phillips, freshman Tyler Redecop, freshman Nicole Rodriguez (with two art pieces), junior Melanie Sendejo, junior Taryn Shoemake, freshman Anna Teichroeb, freshman Brenda Thiessen, sophomore Janette Vargas, senior Elizeth Villa, junior Dalon Wiebe, junior Ysela Ysasi.