- Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District
- EMS ISD Homepage
Saginaw sophomore earns Gold Seal at State VASE competition
Saginaw High School sophomore Kayla Smith received a Gold Seal medallion at the 2018 State Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) in San Marcos, Texas, on April 27-28. Because of her achievement, her art piece will go on tour for a year around the nation.
She is the first EMS ISD student to achieve this honor.
"I was so excited that one of our students finally won," said Lorrie Mangano, Saginaw HS art teacher. "To be honest, I thought if anyone could win the Gold Seal, it would be Kayla–she is that talented! I am so proud of her and am very thankful that she was recognized for the abilities and talent that she possesses. Kayla is a true artist. She lives, breathes, and creates art all the time. Every subject, medium, and challenge I have ever given her, she has done perfectly."
To make it to the state level, Smith first competed against 35,000 students at the Regional Event where she was interviewed and her artwork was juried by certified, professional TAEA jurors. She received a Rating IV, which is the mark of a superior, exemplary work of art and qualified to be entered in to the VASE Area Event. At Area, her artwork was again juried and she was one of 2,200 Texas students who advanced to the State Event.
At the State Event, Smith's artwork was juried while she participated in professional workshops. At the Awards Ceremony, she learned that she was one of 150 students who received the highest rating and was awarded a Gold Seal medallion. According to the VASE website, "this recognition represents the pinnacle of artistic success in the VASE program."
"I honestly didn't believe that I had won for a couple of minutes," Smith said. "It took time to process it and afterwards, I felt like I was floating. I was so ecstatic and grateful for winning and also for all the support I got when working on the piece. The inspiration behind the piece was past memories and the opposites of what pictures hold. The negative parts of the photo were to symbolize not the bad, but the alternate version of what the photos symbolize."
Smith plans to continue art after high school.
"Yes, I'm definitely continuing," Smith said. "Art is my passion, and it is all I want to do in my future."
Congrats, Kayla! We are #emsproud!