art hanging in a gallery

Northwestern 2023 Awards  

The 15th annual Northwestern High School Art Show was a stunner. The show featured so many incredible pieces from what's clearly a very talented field of high school student artists. To learn more about the show, visit the Northwestern page

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's show! 

North Hennepin Community College is very pleased to announce the 2023 People's Choice Award and Artistic Merit Award recipients. 

People's Choice Award

Every year, attendees of the art show vote on their favorite piece. The student with the most votes wins the People's Choice Award and is featured on the art show promotion materials for the following year.

The 2023 People's Choice Award goes to: 

Elia Blakely-Anderson
Armstrong High School
Title: Family Owned Business
Media: Digital Photograph

four images of a violin shop

Artistic Merit Awards 

A panel of experienced artists serve as judges and select Artistic Merit Award recipients from each participating high school. 

Coon Rapids High School

Greg Davis
Title: Untitled 
Media: Charcoal 

sketch of a man in a frame

Elk River High School 

Josh Shade
Title: Flora Borealis
Media: Raku

colorful vase on a table

Irondale High School 

Vinina Chen
Title: Aquarium Adventure
Media: Colored pencil 

sketch of a boy in frame

Maple Grove High School 

Abigail Polen
Title: Serene Lights 
Media: Photography 

photo of a woman wearing headphones and lights

Osseo High School 

Rebecca Craig
Title: Fire Glow
Media: Painting 

painting of a dragon breathing fire

Park Center High School 

Benjamin Thao
Title: Portrait
Media: Charcoal  

sketch of a man's head with two hands on it

Prairie Seeds Academy 

Jaylynn Xiong
Title: The Girl Who’s Blue, Surrounded by Red
Media: Acrylic on canvas 

painting of a woman in blue and red

Robbinsdale Armstrong High School 

Jenna Hamann
Title: Vase
Media: Ceramic   

a grey and blue pot or vase

Rogers High School

Sophia Okeefe
Title: Still Life with Mannequin
Media: Pastel/charcoal 

a painting or various objects in frame

St. Michael-Albertivlle High School 

Elliott Loftus
Title: Grief
Media: Mixed media painting

a sketch or painting of a person hugging an outline of a person

Zimmerman High School

Ashley Gruwell
Title: Swamp Slumber
Media: Graphite on paper 

a sketch of a woman laying peacefully in a swamp

Congrats to all the award recipients! 

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