Those Who Sleep, by Molly McGarrity, won first place in the drawing category in Tryon Fine Arts Center’s 2015 Evening of Excellence Fine Arts Competition.

It’s no secret that Tryon and the surrounding region is full of artists. What might be a bigger secret, however, is that many of those artists are still in high school.

Tryon Fine Arts Center’s upcoming Showcase of Excellence, running from March 12 until April 8, will highlight many of these aspiring young artists and offer them the opportunity to take their first steps into the world of professional art.

Now in its third year, the Showcase of Excellence is a juried art competition established by TFAC’s Arts in Education committee to give students real-world art experiences. Awards are given in six categories. All works are exhibited in TFAC’s Gallery I until the Evening of Excellence on April 8. At this ticketed reception, arts patrons will have the opportunity to bid on the prize-winning works.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to be exposed to all aspects of the arts available through a well-established local arts center,” says Landrum High School art teacher Cathey Stoney.

Several of Stoney’s students have won awards in previous years. She views the showcase as a chance for students to exhibit their own work, see what their peers are doing, and make connections to the area’s art community as well.

“The exhibition exposes students to the larger world of art experiences,” says Stoney.

Molly McGarrity agrees. She is one of Stoney’s students and a first place winner in last year’s show.

“It is a great opportunity to see other high school students’ art styles, as well as gain inspiration from fellow student artists. It was nice to see that the judges appreciated the style in which I work.”

On the night of the Evening of Excellence auction, 40 percent of the proceeds will go to the artists themselves. The bulk of the proceeds, however, goes to fund yet another TFAC Arts in Education initiative, the Be Inspired Grants (BIG). These are grants of up to $500 awarded to area K-12 teachers to bring the arts into their classrooms.

Past recipients have used the grants for a range of projects, from artist studies that encourage kindergartners to express themselves in the styles of Picasso and Beatrix Potter to bringing in mask makers to guide students on making their own.

The Showcase of Excellence will run from the opening reception on March 12 until the Evening of Excellence auction on April 8. For more information on the exhibit, the auction, or applications for the Showcase or BIG awards, visit tryonarts.org or call TFAC at 828-859-8322.

-Submitted by Susan Brady