Sparta High School student wins Best in Show for artwork

Sparta High School student Cam Ilavsky, 17, won the Best in Show award in Peters Valley’s 2023 High School Student Exhibition.

The winners were announced during a reception attended by more than 100 people Feb. 4.

Cam’s piece, “Loss of Self,” a linocut and mixed media piece, earned the full tuition Huber-Weyer Scholarship included with the award.

Cade Martress of High Point Regional High School placed second with a highly detailed sculptural bust, “Bellator Mortiferum.”

Bailey Unchester of Watchung Regional High School received third place for “Totem,” a three-piece, stacking ceramic sculpture with bold shapes and color.

Three Honorable Mentions went to Leo Amsalem of Fort Lee High School and Delaney Ekeman and Julia Lengen, both of Sparta High School.

Delaney was honored for her conceptual design in “Triggered” and Julia for the use of a unique material in a SoapStone sculpture “Love.”

The exhibition is on view through Feb. 27 at the Sally D. Francisco Gallery on the second floor of the Peters Valley School of Craft, 19 Kuhn Road, Layton. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The exhibition features work by students at Blair Academy, Bloomfield High School, Delaware Valley High School, Fort Lee High School, High Point Regional High School, Kittatinny Regional High School, Newton High School, Randolph High School, Sayreville War Memorial High School, Sparta High School, Wallkill Valley Regional High School and Watchung Hills Regional High School.

The two- and three-dimensional artwork includes ceramics, stone, drawing, painting, jewelry, sculpture, photography, textiles and other mixed media.

The focus on showcasing the students’ work in a professional setting makes the Peters Valley’s exhibition unique among the many shows these schools participate in.

Peters Valley School of Craft is a nonprofit educational center for the exploration, promotion and practice of fine craft. 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 the generosity of its members and individual donors.

For information, go online to www.petersvalley.org