On Saturday at Pleasant Grove High School, the Visual Arts Scholastic Event garnered attention from schools in different regions as they competed in the annual art competition. In total, there were 18 gold medals awarded to the 20 participants of the event— the most in multiple years. One student progressed to the state level, junior McKenzie Brown.

Each student has developed their work over the course of the past few months, ranging from self portraits to interactive sculptures, conveying their intended message.

“This year we worked endlessly since December in order to progress in forming new artists and contribute to a new wave of projects that reflect our self-expression,” Phillips said. “We wanted to diversify our art pieces so that they’d be more interesting.”

Brown believes that making it to state was more of a luck of the draw due to so many good submissions performing exceptionally in the event. There were numerous art pieces from all over the region that expressed valuable meaning

“I don’t think I was set apart in any way from other competitors. Everyone showed up, did their best, and got their results,” Brown said. “We all entered beautiful pieces, and it’s a shame more of us didn’t make it.”

Creating a piece of artwork requires a level of self-restraint and self-discipline, making lots of critical decisions surrounding the subject matter and taking risks. Brown experimented with new art mediums by adding clothes to her portrait and created a more dimensional art piece.

“I learned this year to take my time and trust myself and my teachers,” Brown said. “We did some risky things to my piece, and I was hesitant at first, but I believe those were the things that took me to state.”

After this year of VASE, students and teachers alike are striving to improve their artistic abilities for years to come. At the event, there were bonds forged between each individual that will ultimately benefit relationships and inspire others to continue practicing their self-expression.

“Because of all the work the students have put into their projects, I feel like I have accomplished a life goal by becoming a teacher,” Phillips said. “My heart is swollen with pride for everyone.”