Park Forest, Schools

4 From Marian Catholic Qualify For $193,000 In Art Scholarships


Marian Catholic High School Logo
Marian Catholic High School. (Graphic Supplied)

Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- The best 1,000 student artists from approximately 125+ Illinois high schools will converge to showcase their art and vie for more than $43,000,000 in college scholarships at the 5th annual Illinois High School Art Exhibition (IHSAE). Courtney Harris, ’19 – Hazel Crest, IL, Devin Tonks, ’19 – Munster, IN, Emily Recupido, ’18 – Matteson, IL, and Kelli Baker, ’18 – Flossmoor, IL from Marian Catholic High School have been selected to showcase artwork at the exhibit and qualified to earn one of the available college scholarships. The total senior scholarship amount for Marian Catholic High School is over $196,000.00 with more scholarships still being processed as of press time. The show runs from Monday, February 12 through Friday, March 9 at the Zhou B Art Center and Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.

A public opening will be hosted on Friday, February 16 as the Zhou B Art Center’s monthly Third Friday special event as well as at the Bridgeport Art Center. The exhibition’s main general exhibition event on Sunday, February 25 will feature ceremonies, early college scholarship announcements, awards presentations, and college recruitments at the Zhou B Art Center and senior scholarship announcements at the Bridgeport Art Center.

The IHSAE includes multiple display venues beyond the Zhou B Art Center, the sole host partner for the first three years, because of its burgeoning success. Some 4,000 students, teachers, college representatives, and school district administrators are expected to attend the state’s largest high school student art exhibition that is also widely considered the gold standard amongst high school student art exhibitions nationwide.

Keynote speaker: Sergio Gomez of NextGen Arts.

“The scholarships will continue a robust IHSAE tradition that has facilitated $80-million-
plus cumulatively for more than 900 students since our first event in 2014,” said Chris

Sykora, co-creator of IHSAE, which uniquely collaborates with city, suburban, public, and private high schools and more than 35 college art schools nationwide.

“Although art education has been largely eliminated from standard school curriculums due to ever-tightening budgets, a growing number of schools – including the Chicago Public Schools – are undergoing a renaissance focused on extending comprehensive art programs due to the wide-ranging developmental benefits. The IHSAE advocates those extra efforts with exhibitions and other incentives for creative exploration and connection to innovative careers,” Sykora said.

“The Zhou B Art Center is honored to help nurture the world’s future artists by hosting this very special exhibition. Our involvement is consistent with the center’s philosophy to provide a community and environment that supports emerging artists of all ages, walks of life, and countries – including the center’s resident artists — through collaboration, education, networking, innovative thinking, and exhibitions,” said Michael Zhou, the center’s executive director.


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