The 2011 Georgia in Bloom Art Fest culminated on Saturday, May 14 with the GA Kids in Bloom Awards reception at Steffen Thomas Museum of Art, which was the gallery location for over 80 pieces of art from Morgan County students.  With an enthusiastic crowd of 140 students, their families, and art teachers present, Madison Artists Guild Director Karen Strelecki awarded certificates, ribbons and praise to the young artists to whom this show is dedicated.

This is the 4th year of GA Kids in Bloom, a segment of MAG's Georgia in Bloom Art Fest which received an Invitational Grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts and the unflagging support of the Morgan County art teachers and STMA.  The children's work will remain on view at STMA through Saturday, May 21st.  The museum is located at 4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead and admission to see the GA Kids in Bloom exhibit is free.  

Saturday, April 24^th dawned drizzly, but the bad weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the crowd of 150, which included student artists and their Super Fans as they arrived in their spring finery at the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art.

This was the biggest turn out EVER for the Awards Reception for Georgia Kid in Bloom, an art show for kids, which is part of the Madison Artists Guild’s annual Georgia in Bloom Art Fest.  The excitement of seeing their work hung along side noted artist Steffen Thomas’ sculpture was evident on the faces of these budding artists as well as on those of family and friends.

Local art teachers Leslie Ryals, Marjean Meadow, Laura Rice, Julie Noland, and Tyrus Manning were justifiably proud of their young charges as they received certificates & ribbons during the ceremony and posed for pictures in front of an admiring audience who enthusiastically applauded at every opportunity.

                                                                                                                                                             Guild Director, Karen Strelecki presided over the ceremony and expressed gratitude to students, teachers, parents and the Georgia Legislature for its support of the arts.  She noted that the Georgia Council for the Arts is a crucial supporter of this annual art event and that the proposed dismantling of GCA would have struck a terrible blow to arts programs throughout the state.  The state senate was applauded for overturning the house’s decision to de-fund GCA.  Budget cuts will surely be enacted in this difficult economic environment, but Strelecki hopes that GCA will survive to continue its support for local and regional art programs undertaken by organizations like the Madison Artists Guild and the Steffen Thomas Museum.

Georgia Kids in Bloom remained on view at STMA through May 8.  The museum is located at 4200 Bethany Rd. in Buckhead and their hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am till 4:00 pm.

The Madison Artists Guild encourages membership of youngsters and the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art offers great family workshops. For Guild information call 706-752-0137 and for Museum workshop information call 706-342-7557.

2010 GA Kids in Bloom Winners

MS. RYALS’ CLASSES:

Merit – Peyton O’Neal for Mixed Media Butterfly

3rd Place – Simon LeClair for Tempera Paint Blue Butterfly

2nd Place – Matthew Green for Watercolor Pencil Landscape

1st place – Davis Moore for Watercolor Pencil Landscape

GROUP PICTURE IN FRONT W/ ALL KIDS AND TEACHER

MS. RICE’S CLASSES: 

Merit – Brant Kiepper for Crayon Resist Leaves

Merit – Daisy Harris for Crayon and Tempera Floral

Merit – Sara Smith for Pastels Red Floral

Merit -  Hope Chastain for Crayon & Tempera Floral

Merit – Monay Adams for Pastels & Glitter Floral

3rd Place – Frances Smith for Crayon Floral

2nd Place – Destiny Evans for Tempera, Oil pastels & Foil Leaves

1st Place – Arian Warren for Crayon & Tempera Graphic Floral

MS. MEADOW’S CLASSES: 

Merit – Allyson Floriant  for Mono Print

3rd Place – Ashley Vaden for Paper Sculpture

2nd Place – Kaliee Cesenas for Glue Line Relief & Pastel

1st Place – Katherine Rittenhouse for Papier Mache Mask

MS. NOLAN’S CLASSES: 

Merit – Erin Lass for “Garden Angel”

Merit – Emily Cason for “Flower Flower”

3rd Place – Mirabella Buonocore for “Beautiful Midnight Sky”

2nd Place – Ciara Maroschak for “First Signs of Spring”

1st Place – Mattie Stewart for “Look Cats!”

MR. MANNING’S CLASSES: 

Merit – Catherine Bishop for “Hands and Feet”

3rd Place – Katie Brown for “Bunny  Band”

2nd Place – Oceana Phoenix – “Psychedelic Sunrise”

1st Place – Hannah Tindol for “My Dog”

BEST OF SHOW – Fit the theme of Spring Time in Georgia, 

                                 SHOWED EXCELLENCE IN FITTING

                                 THE THEME OF GA IN BLOOM,

                                 EXCELLENT COMPOSITION,  USE

                                 OF COLOR , MEDIUM & DESIGN

ARIAN WARREN FOR GRAPHIC FLORAL USING TEMPERA AND CRAYON

                ________________________

2011 Georgia Kids in Bloom Art Exhibit

Morgan County art teachers:  Marjean Meadow - Middle School, Laura Rice - Elementary School, Ty Manning - High School, Leslie Ryals - Primary School

Ms. Marjean Meadow's Middle School Art Students

Ms. Laura Rice's Elementary School art students

Ms. Leslie Ryals' Primary School art students

             ________________________

Students, Teachers and Chairman of
2010 Georgia Kids in Bloom Exhibit