Bison art students take second place

McCook High School students competed Wednesday in Hastings College’s Mural Day competition, earning second place out of 36 teams. Team members include, from left, Kyla Patel (Sr), Maria Lopez (Sr), Abigail Diaz (Sr), Rowen Wiemers (Sr), Tim Adkins (Sr), and Ashley Hernandez (Jr)

Courtesy photo

HASTINGS, Neb. - McCook High School's team of art students placed second out of 36 teams at the Hastings Mural Day competition.

The McCook team consisted of Rowen Wiemers, Ashley Hernandez, Tim Adkins, Abigail Diaz, Maria Lopez and Kyla Patel. Art instructor Tara Peterman said the students were hand-picked from the advanced art class because they showed a great passion for art and a high skill level.

The seventh annual competition was held Wed., Oct. 4, and was sponsored by Hastings College in the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center. Each school’s art team consisted of two to six of their most promising art students, who competed against other schools by painting a 36” x 60” vinyl mural according to the theme announced at the beginning of the competition. This year, teams were tasked with coming up with a new slogan for Nebraska.

They didn’t know the theme going into the competition, and were given a few hours to work together to complete it, with no help from the instructors.

“I couldn’t have been more proud of the way they worked together. It isn’t easy to have a vision and idea of your own and have to try and mold it into a group vision. Overall, it was a great day spent outside doing what they love and being surrounded by so many other students from around the state who have that same passion,” Peterman said.