The Springville Museum of Art opened their 51st annual All-State High School Art Show on Saturday, Feb. 1, beginning with an awards ceremony.

Because of the show’s highly competitive nature, only 327 pieces made it to the final exhibition, despite receiving over 1,000 submissions.

“It’s pretty competitive,” Allison Pinegar, head of Exhibitions and Programs at the museum, said. “It really becomes a showcase of the most talented, cream-of-the-crop artists in Utah.”

The museum’s permanent collection traces back to 1902, when nationally recognized artists John Hafen and Cyrus Allen donated artwork to the students of Springville, Pinegar said. Over time, high school students and faculty in the community launched what became known as the Spring Salon, an open-call art exhibition that grew in prestige.

By 1937, with support from Works Progress Administration funds, community fundraising and efforts from the students themselves, a dedicated museum building was constructed to house the growing collection. Once part of the high school campus, the museum eventually became a standalone institution and continued its mission to support the arts and young artists, Pinegar said.

The All-State High School Art Show follows a structure similar to all-state sports competitions, allowing public, private and charter high schools across Utah to submit work from their students. To keep the selection process manageable, the number of submissions per school is limited based on enrollment, Pinegar said.

After schools submit their selected pieces, a panel of 12 rotating jurors consisting of artists, curators, and representatives from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums determines which works make it into the final exhibition.

Students have the opportunity to receive awards and scholarships. The museum partners with several organizations, distributing over $30,000 in scholarship and award money, Pinegar said.

The Utah Senate also selects winners for its Visual Arts Competition, awarding cash scholarships to outstanding students.

Each of Utah’s congressional districts choose a winner, whose artwork is sent to Washington, D.C., to be displayed in the congressional tunnel, where it will be seen by lawmakers and visitors, she added.

Additional sponsors, including the Utah Watercolor Society, Artist Nosh, JKR Academy and the Visual Art Institute, provide material scholarships, tuition awards, and cash prizes to support young artists.

For many students, participating in this exhibition is a defining moment. Ayda Ramsay, a senior from Canyon View High School, submitted an oil painting on canvas paper, incorporating Japanese paper her grandmother brought back from Japan.

“I just wanted to kind of put some of that culture into this piece,” Ramsay said.

This was her first time participating in the exhibition, having learned about it from a teacher earlier in the year. Although she hadn’t originally created the piece specifically for the competition, she decided a few months before that she wanted to submit it.

Another artist, Isabella Freeman, a senior at Herriman High School, was surprised and thrilled to have her work selected. Her mixed media piece is a deeply personal reflection on her relationship with her mother, she said.

“It hasn’t always been 100% perfect, but through growing and learning to accept each other, this piece is sort of an homage to that and the fact that people can grow and change and, you know, just become brighter,” Freeman explained.

Freeman’s piece not only made it into the exhibition, but also won the Pillar Pobil Legacy Award, which grants a scholarship to be used at the school of her choice.

“I honestly didn’t even think it would make it,” she said. “It has been such an amazing opportunity for me to be able to have it in here.”

For many students, this show can have a big impact on their future careers in the world of art, Pinegar said.

“This is a very life-affirming experience, to have your artwork selected from thousands of submissions, and then also have maybe a lawmaker of Utah see your art and validate that it is well done and meaningful. So it’s a special show that cultivates a lot of really great experiences for these students,” Pinegar said.

The Springville Museum of Art’s All-State High School Art Show opened this week and will be on display through Mar. 21. The public is invited to visit and support Utah’s emerging artistic talent.