FIELD TWP – North Woods art students earned raves at the Minnesota State High School League Art Competition, taking home 16 medals for superior artwork. The competition was held on April 8 at the Perpich Center for Arts Education.

“I was incredibly excited with the results because it highlights the quality of the fine arts program here at North Woods,” said art teacher Rachel Latuff. “Seeing students cheer each other on at the awards ceremony was also a very memorable moment. Each student is very different from one another but they came together through art.”

Senior Emily Koch took top honors, winning best overall in sculpture and ceramics for her “Lady Slipper” sculpture and ceramic “Octopus Tea Set.”

“I was hoping to get best of show in ceramics, but I never thought I would do so well,” said Koch, who earned superior marks in five art categories.

Koch said she has “always loved art” and credited former art teacher Lyn Reed and Latuff for teaching her so much and pushing her to do her best.

Latuff said Koch deserved the overall judges’ awards “because of her willingness to take risks, try new things and maintain passion.”

“She lives and breathes art and for that she will continue to find success,” added Latuff, who said she is thrilled Koch plans to continue honing her artistic skills in college.

Koch said she plans to pursue an art therapy degree from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. “For awhile, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after high school, but I realized this what I love to do,” said Koch. “I’m in the art room every chance I can get.”

Koch’s artwork will be on display with other Best of Show entries at the Perpich Center for the Arts from May 9-16.

Selecting artwork to enter in the state competition was “incredibly difficult,” said Latuff, who said the level of talent at North Woods is outstandingly high.

“It ended up coming down to both technical skill and strong conceptual ideas — the deep meaning behind the artwork. That is ultimately how the judges connect with the art. They want to relate to it and see the story,” said Latuff.

Part of the scoring process focuses on the artistic statements that accompany each piece.

“We received perfect scores for every statement entered,” Latuff said. “The combination of quality writing and highly crafted art made our entries reach superior level wins.”

Those earning superior rankings included:

Emily Koch – Sculpture, ceramics, drawing, painting and mixed media.

Noah Squires – Drawing.

Jeffrey Janssen – Drawing.

Collin Janssen – Ceramics.

Alexis Ingebretsen – Mixed media.

Sydney Barnett – Mixed media.

Chase Holman – Drawing.

Molly Deatherage – Sculpture.

Jessie Lambert – Sculpture.

Patricia Lien – Crafts.

Patricia McCarthy – Ceramics.

Chandra Klakoski – Sculpture.

In addition, Aura Gustafson and Taylor Midthun received excellent ratings for the drawings they entered in competition.

“Coming away with everyone ranking superior and excellent was the cherry on top,” Latuff concluded. “I look forward to seeing the next band of artists step up to the plate and show us what they are made of next year after seeing this year’s band of talented artists.”

“As long as students are being pushed both in their skills and conceptual thinking, they will continue to build creative confidence, success and individuality,” she continued. “That’s what art is about — discovering who they are as individuals.”

The certificates and students’ artwork from the show are currently on display at the North Woods School for community members to view.