Wallkill Valley artist wins Best in show, Sparta students place
Wantage. Kaitlyn Czifra of Wallkill Valley Regional High School won a full Peters Valley scholarship for “Reckoning.” Sparta High School students Kevin Dau and Cameron Minetti won Third Place and Honorable mention, respectively, for their work.
Wantage /
| 19 Apr 2021 | 02:37
Kaitlyn Czifra, Wallkill Valley Regional High School, “Reckoning,” Best in Show
Kevin Dau, , Sparta High School, "Chasing the Dream," third place
Cameron Minetti, Sparta High School, "Infinity," honorable mention
“My Imperfect Cracks” by Sophia Papadopoulo, Blair Academy, second place
The judges of Peters Valley’s 2021 High School Student Exhibition say they were astounded by the high quality and creativity shown in the work submitted this year, particularly despite the challenges faced by students and teachers.
The winners were announced during the exhibition’s virtual opening reception on Sunday. A recording of the reception may be viewed on the show’s webpage at petersvalleygallery.org.
● Best in Show was awarded to Kaitlyn Czifra of Wallkill Valley Regional High School. “Reckoning,” her mixed media wall piece, addresses the personal impact of these divisive times. Kaitlyn won a full tuition Huber-Weyer Scholarship for a workshop at Peters Valley.
● Second Place was awarded to Sophia Papadopoulo of Blair Academy for her sculpture “My Imperfect Cracks,” part of series centered around love and appreciation for her and all body types.
● Third Place was given to Kevin Dau of Sparta High School for his installation “Chasing the Dream,” which included cast shadows as an elemental part of the piece.
● Honorable Mention went to Cameron Minetti of Sparta High School for the carved stone sculpture “Infinity.”
The exhibition is online-only through May 9 at the Peters Valley website. The show features two- and three-dimensional artwork by students in grades 9 to 12, including ceramics, drawing, painting, jewelry, sculpture, photography, and other mixed media. Other participating schools include Byram Hills, Delaware Valley, High Point Regional, Kittatinny Regional, Montville, and Randolph.
About Peters Valley School of Craft
Peters Valley School of Craft is a non-profit educational center in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Funding is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and New Jersey Historic Trust, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Marie & John Zimmermann Fund, Windgate Charitable Foundation, Charles Lawrence Keith & Clara Miller Foundation, Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, The Greater Pike Community Foundation, New Jersey Cultural Trust, and by individual donors.