By STEPHANIE BRUMFIELD / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – High school students will have the opportunity to showcase their artwork at the Shelby County Arts Council’s gallery space and at the University of Alabama this fall as part of the Second Annual High School Juried Art Competition.

Students in grades 10, 11 and 12 are invited to submit up to two pieces for consideration by Oct. 6 at midnight. Students selected to participate should bring their pieces to the arts council by Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. and will be invited to an opening reception and college preview day Nov. 3 from 2-4 p.m.

Shelby County Arts Council director of arts and education Susan Gordon said the event has become one of the largest exhibitions and recruiting events for high school art students in the state. About 100 pieces were selected from more than 300 entries last year, and more than 200 invitations have been sent to art professors across the state to attend the opening reception, Gordon said.

“The better your images, the better your chances,” Gordon said, referring to the fact that all entries will be digital. Good-quality images are images where the artwork is center and square, images with good lighting and images that have been cropped to eliminate distractions outside the artwork, Gordon said.

Judging this year’s show is University of Alabama art professor Pete Schulte, who says he plans on choosing fewer entries this year, making the show harder to get into, according to Gordon.

“When the juror does look at these, he has no idea who the people are. He only sees an image and a code. He has absolutely no idea who these artists are or where they’re from. He judges them solely on the merit of the work,” she said. “You can do your best by making the images as good as you possibly can.”

The main purpose of the opening reception is recruiting, and to give students a feel for the different art programs at colleges across the state.

“I just dreamed up an event that I thought would be really exciting for high school students and what I would want personally as a student,” Gordon said. “To me, the thing that makes it so great is the recruiting day. That’s what makes our show unique. There is really nothing like it in the state.”

Awards will be given in each of the eight media categories, which include computer generated art, drawing/pastel, 2D glass, 2D mixed media, painting (oil and acrylic), photography, printmaking/graphics and watercolor. The Best of Show Winner will receive a $500 cash award, and winners in each category will be invited to participate in an exhibit at the University of Alabama in January.

Entry forms are available at Shelbycountyartscouncil.com. For more information, call 205-669-0044 or email info@shelbycountyartscouncil.com.