Student to exhibit at Carnegie hall

Tanner Smith, a Sisters High School student, will have the honor of exhibiting his artwork at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

In early January, the Sisters High School art department, headed by art teacher Mike Baynes, submitted several pieces of art to the regional division of the National Scholastic Art and Writing Competition held at Central Oregon Community College. Sisters' artists did well, receiving multiple awards. Of the more than 140,000 works entered, 10,000 were selected to be judged nationally, and out of those, 1,000 were chosen to be included in the national exhibit.

Those pieces, including Smith's, will be exhibited at Carnegie Hall in early June.

Smith's piece, a clay sculpture, is titled "Hand and Foot" and is the only piece from Central Oregon that was accepted. Only 18 pieces from all of Oregon were chosen for the exhibit.

Smith, a sophomore, says that this is his first "real piece of art," adding that the competition is also his first.

"It will keep me motivated to make more pieces and keep getting better," he said.

"Tanner is a very gifted artist, both musically and visually. He shows a lot of promise in both fields, and I'm excited that he is only a sophomore. I'm looking forward to seeing how he grows," said Baynes.

A visual arts scholarship is in place at the high school to help young artists such as Smith move to the next level in their field. The scholarship fund is currently in need of donations to help keep it viable for years to come. For more information or to donate to the Sisters High School Art Scholarship, contact Mike Baynes at 549-4045.