Several hundred people packed the Cactus Shadows High School Fine Arts Center last month to cheer on more than 100 talented grade 3-12 students for their outstanding achievements in visual arts during the Sonoran Arts League’s 29th annual Celebration of Art and the 45th Jeff Cross Memorial.
Sponsored by the Sonoran Arts League, Cave Creek Unified School District’s Educational Community Service, Steve and Lori Greenberg, and the Kiwanis Club of Carefree, the event included students from seven CCUSD elementary, middle, and high schools as well as students from Annunciation Catholic School and Quality Interactive Montessori.
Among the students recognized was North Scottsdale resident Ella Miller, who graduated last month from Cactus Shadows High.
She and the other honorees received a gift bag of art supplies provided by the Sonoran Arts League to nurture their creative spirit over the summer. In addition, $6,000 in scholarships were awarded to three students to help them on their artistic journey.
Ella earned the prestigious 45th Annual Jeff Cross Bronze Bell Award – named after the late bronze artist and a founding member of the Cave Creek Craft Council that became the Sonoran Arts League.
She received an artistic bell and was lauded for her acrylic, oil pastel and India ink paintings and drawings.
Ella, 18, moved to Arizona from Maryland with her family three years ago. She said it was a big honor to receive the prestigious award.
“When we moved here, the community was welcoming, and I enjoyed meeting so many others who were passionate about art,” she said.
“I participated in the Celebration of Art events during my sophomore and junior years, and it was exciting to watch students win the Jeff Cross Bronze Bell Award. I was honored to be nominated this year, and I felt so happy and grateful to be recognized for my artwork.”
Ella credits her family with inspiring her to pursue her passion for art as well as teachers from school.
“My mother is very creative, and art has always been a part of my life. I am also grateful to my art teacher, Dana Parsons, for her support and guidance,” she said.
In late 2024, Ella also planned and created a colorful mural for the Sonoran Arts League at their Stagecoach Village studio as part of a project to earn her Eagle Scout badge.
“I’m very grateful to the Sonoran Arts League for the Bronze Bell award as well as the opportunity to fulfill the community project to become an Eagle Scout,” she said.
Ella will be a freshman at Arizona State University’s Barrett, The Honors College, majoring in digital animation.
“I have always loved animation and storytelling…it’s a captivating medium,” she said. “I originally wanted to focus on 2D art, but my school partners with EVIT, the East Valley Institute of Technology, and in my junior year I tried a course and loved it.”
She would begin her day at Cactus Shadows at 7:15 am with three classes and then take a bus to the EVIT Mesa campus midday to complete her coursework there.
“I have a much better appreciation for how technical digital animation is, but I enjoy the challenge of problem solving, and my goal with storytelling is to create something super spectacular,” she said.
“My dream is to direct my own film or to contribute content to some of the best animation companies, such as Pixar, DreamWorks or work on gaming projects.”
Information: sonoranartsleague.org or 480-575-6624.