The Visual Arts Scholastic Event, or VASE, is starting up for this year at LHS. VASE competitors will compete February 10 at the regional and area events, and the art club is currently taking applications to join the competition.

“The purpose of VASE is to not only encourage students to make creative and original artwork [but also] help them develop skills in analyzing artwork and speaking about their artwork to trained professionals,” art teacher Rebecca Harrison said. “We are currently taking entries to the event for this year, [and] in the past we have taken between 15 and 35 students to compete against 22 other schools in our region.”

Many of the students competing this year have never participated before. The club is still accepting applications to participate, but over six students have already committed to competing in the competition and have begun working on their art.

“VASE is like a more advanced Boylan art competition,” senior Celeste Herman said. “I guess my favorite part is that I have never competed in this art competition. I would totally participate in this competition next year.”

This competition is held annually nationwide. The state competition is later this year, and in order to advance to state, the artwork must score high enough and be approved by a panel of judges. At the state event, the top 10 percent of all the artwork at the meet will become part of a group called “The Gold Medallion Exhibit”.

“If an artwork scores high enough and is then selected by a panel of jurors it and the student will advance to the next level of competition,” Harrison said. “It has been said that of all the states that host similar competitions, Texas’ VASE competition is held in high regard as one of the most competitive and well run in the nation.”

The competition allows students to show off their artistic and creative abilities. It also helps them learn how to express themselves both verbally and through their artwork.

“My favorite part of sponsoring these students is getting to see the amazing talent that each of them possesses and see their incredible artwork,” Harrison said. “I love seeing these students really develop an understanding of their personal expression through their artwork. In VASE, they get the opportunity to express themselves non-verbally through their art and verbally through their interview.”