WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR SOOPER ART 2012!

Thanks to the many students who entered Sooper Art 2012, the art competition inspired by the book, Sooper Yooper: Environmental Defender, by Mark Heckman and Mark Newman.

The environmental art contest, sponsored by the Wege Foundation and hosted by the Grand Rapids Art Museum, drew many creative entries and this made judging a challenge. There were many excellent pieces that were worthy of merit, but we were limited to honoring a total of 16 in each age group. Whether it was a matter of originality or the choice of theme that made the difference, rest assured that our decisions were difficult and purely subjective. The choice for the top award was especially hard as two or three other pieces were judged equally worthy. Please note that many of the pieces need to be seen in person to be fully appreciated.

The students listed below received invitations to a special ceremony celebrating this year’s winners at noon Saturday, Nov. 10, in the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s Cook Auditorium. A total of 15 winners in each age group were honored on stage. Each was presented with a certificate and a check for $100 as their artwork was projected on a large screen. The three winners of the $250 Mark Heckman Special Merit Award (one in each age group) were announced during the award ceremony.

Following the presentation of awards, participants and their families viewed the winning artwork in the Education Center, then were invited to participate in a project in Crane Studio. Light refreshments of cider and donuts were served.

You can view a gallery of the winning artwork by clicking a link found toward the bottom of this page. Congratulations to all of the winning students, including six two-time winners: Jed Alferink, Emma Byerwalter, Ellie Iorio, Philip LaPorte, Stephie Lindhout and Colin Pearson.

Age 5-8 Winners
Sophia Ackerson, 8
Jed Alferink, 8
Heidi Blackwell, 8
Jordan Burgess, 8
Matthew Calmo Pablo, 7
Sydney Draksler, 7
Mauricio Quezada-Figueroa, 7
Isabella Fox, 6
Avery Gibb, 8
Lake Liao, 7
Carson Long, 8
Brynna Morren, 8
Colin Pearson, 8
Eli Wycoff, 8
Alex Yang, 8

Age 9-12 Winners
Krista Bartholomy, 12
Kersten Bower, 11
Stephanie Bueche, 12
Emma Byerwalter, 11
Whitney Edson, 11
Amanda Grasman, 11
Philip LaPorte, 12
Rebekah Li, 9
Hayden Long, 10
Phoebe Oh, 9
Natalie Poll, 12
Abby Rapoport, 10
Kimmie Stump, 12
Brendan Van Dam, 10
Chase Zawacki, 12

Age 13-17 Winners
Lauren Barker, 15
Emily Deppe, 13
Cheryl Doran, 17
Ezekiel Duncan, 17
Grayson Kosak, 15
Stephie Lindhout, 14
Margo Lynde, 13
Lydia Mooney, 15
Chelsea Mungons, 16
Tyler Powell, 17
Natalie Rodriguez, 16
Kelly Speyer, 15
Michelle VandenBerg, 16
Stacey Van Dyk, 16
Kristina Webb, 17

Mark Heckman Special Merit Award Winners
Gillian Ciak, 8
Eleanor Iorio, 10
Laura Meekhof, 17

Click here to view a gallery of the winning 2012 entries.

Click here to view a gallery of the winning 2011 entries.

Click here to visit the Grand Rapids Art Museum website and learn more about GRAM programs.