The Springville Museum of Art’s history is deeply intertwined with high school students, dating back to 1903 when artists Cyrus Dallin and John Hafen donated two works of art to Springville High School.

Springville teenagers later put on a Paris-salon style exhibition in 1921, and when the museum was officially incorporated in 1925, it was named the High School Art Gallery.

So it’s no surprise the Utah All-State High School Art Show remains one of the gallery’s most important annual attractions, set for its 53rd year in 2025.

“High school students of Springville really built out our permanent collection from 1920 on,” Head of Exhibitions and Programs Allison Pinegar said. “And so we love supporting high school students, and we love having students in our building and feeling their energy and excitement over visual arts and how that impacts their life.”

From Saturday to March 21, the show will showcase over 300 pieces of art chosen from over 1,000 pieces submitted from 98 high schools around the state.

The art show has ramifications for its participants. Over $30,000 in cash awards and scholarships are distributed, and Utah congressional representatives will choose some items to be displayed in Washington D.C. for a national competition.

“One of the best things about this show is the kind of visibility it gives these student artists across a lot of different groups,” Pinegar said.

The Utah Senate selects 10 to 15 students to receive cash awards, and their first-place winner has their art displayed at the State Capitol Building.

The Utah State Board of Education selects works for its permanent collection, while smaller groups such as Midway Plein Air and Policy Project offer scholarships.

“We work with a lot of groups in it,” Pinegar said. “It really is impressive how even these small scholarships can make such a difference in the students’ lives. It’s so encouraging to receive recognition for artwork that you’re making and that you’ve submitted to this show, and might, in fact, encourage them to pursue this as an actual career, moving forward or in college.”

For a student to get their art portrayed in the gallery is no small feat.

The amount of art pieces a school can submit to the competition is dependent on the size of the school. A small school may submit four works, a larger school 20, Pinegar estimated. If a school art teacher submits a student’s piece, it will then go before the group of jurors.

There are 12 rotating jurors, largely made up of Utah artists or museum administrators, that choose what makes it into the gallery.  The jurors are divided into four groups of three, with each group judging one of the following categories: painting, drawings, 3D and mixed media, and photography and digital art.

Popular submitted items include portraits and ceramic work, according to Penigar.

“It is tough,” she said of the process. ” … The jurors are really looking for artistic excellence and high quality. But we do like to try and have representation from every district that submits to the show.”

With a large number of participants and schools represented, the exhibit is one of the busiest times of the year for the museum.

“Something we love is seeing the families and different school groups come through the museum and get so excited to see their friends and peers being displayed,” Penigar said.

Admission is free throughout the exhibition. The opening reception will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 1.