Come and enjoy an inspiring display of creativity as budding artists from 21 area high schools in Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties share their talents at Montgomery County Community College’s 11^th Annual Tri-County High School Art Exhibition and Competition in the College’s North Hall Gallery of the Montco Cultural Center, located at 16 East High Street, Pottstown.

The exhibition features an impressive array of 170 artworks in a variety of media, including oils, watercolors, ceramics, prints, sculpture and more. The exhibit opened on Tuesday, Feb. 11, with an artists’ reception and awards ceremony. The exhibit is free and open to the community. Convenient parking is available along High Street and in the College’s parking lot at 101 College Drive.

“This year, we have a record 21 high schools participating from as far as Kutztown, Haverford, and Springfield Township, all of which have been doing amazing and inventive projects with their students,” said Patrick Rodgers, Manager of the Montco Cultural Center. “I hope many people will come and see firsthand the creative energy of these talented young people from our region. We're always thrilled to present this exhibit and so grateful to the teachers and parents who make it possible.”  

This year’s juror was Emily Thiel, Programs Manager at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, Berks County. Thiel selected 22 pieces for special mention, as well as a Best in Show winner:

• Sharing it With You, Soleil Scruggs, Pottsgrove High School
• Before the Journey, Natalie Shope, Pottstown High School
• Poissonier, Kale Martin, Methacton High School
• Just a Little LOVE, Lydia Mosier, Renaissance Academy
• Cheers, Jocelyn Milone, Pottsgrove High School
• Polluted Oceans, Finn Shelgren, Daniel Boone Area High School
• Resilient, Colin Kolbach, Upper Merion Area High School
• Pixel Perfect, Ava D'Angelis, Methacton High School
• Dancing Girl, Megha Gudipudi, Owen J. Roberts High School
• Untitled (skeleton drawing), Bianca Budaji, Spring-Ford Senior High School
• Tension, Jadyn Bagby, Abington Senior High School
• The Blues, Klara Schnore, Kutztown Area High School
• Spider Cat, Liliana Bartholomey, Hatboro-Horsham High School
• Broken Beauty, Mo Curry, Exeter Senior High School
• The Neighbor's Watchdog, Claire Kraft, Spring-Ford Senior High School
• Tea Pot, Luis Hearn, La Salle College High School
• Broken, Kennedy Roeder, Pottsgrove High School
• Defeat, Christopher Adams, The Haverford School
• Leela, Hanna Druckenmiller, Spring-Ford Senior High School
• Caution, Wet Paint, Maxim Heinrich, The Hill School
• Peruvian Landscape, Colleen Lee, Perkiomen Valley High School
• Draped Foliage, Brock Klopp, Pottstown High School

This year’s Best in Show was awarded to Kedar Moore from Springfield Area High School for the mixed media piece Metamorphism.  The Pottstown Area Artists Guild sponsored a $50 prize to accompany the award. 

The exhibit will be open through March 7. The gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The gallery is closed on weekends.

MCCC’s Fine Arts galleries, located at both Pottstown and Blue Bell campuses, are part of the Montco Cultural Center and host a variety of exhibitions featuring professional and student artists and artwork in an array of genres, as well as related activities, programs and lectures.

For more information about the exhibit or MCCC’s galleries, contact Patrick Rodgers, Manager of the Montco Cultural Center, at prodgers@mc3.edu and visit the website at mc3.edu/galleries.

To see additional photos from the opening reception and exhibit, visit Montco's Facebook page.