High school art exhibit open at EOU
Published 3:00 am Monday, February 24, 2025
- Baker High School’s Kegan Bott earned a best of show award at the 2024 Eastern Oregon Regional High School Exhibition at EOU. The current show is on display through March 14 at Nightingale Gallery.
LA GRANDE —The Nightingale Gallery of Eastern Oregon University is currently showing the annual Eastern Oregon Regional High School Exhibition.
The show opened Feb. 21 and continues through March 14.
The exhibit provides a unique experience for young artists to not only exhibit their work but also to exhibit alongside their Eastern Oregon peers.
“My students are always excited and honored to have their work shown at EOU,” said Jessie Street, who teaches art at North Powder High School. “It makes them feel seen and that their ideas matter, and that’s a type of recognition and attention from adults that they remember.”
The exhibit also allows the community to engage with the creative work of students from high schools throughout the region. Students working in a variety of media in grades nine through 12 will have up to two works on view. Schools with students scheduled to participate include Baker City, Burns, Crane Union, Echo, Elgin, Enterprise, Grant Union, Joseph Charter School, La Grande, McLoughlin (Milton-Freewater), Monument, Pendleton, North Powder and Union.
The EOU art faculty juries the exhibit and awards several honors. Award certificates, gift cards, sketchbooks and a variety of EOU swag was presented to the Best of Show winners in grades nine through 12. Honorable mentions were presented with certificates.
For the 17th year, the La Grande Arts Commission sponsored awards for outstanding works by two La Grande student artists. Joining the La Grande Arts Commission in presenting special awards are Art Center East, Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, and Pendleton Center for the Arts.
“The Nightingale Gallery continues its decades-long commitment to celebrating the creative endeavors of our area’s young artists,” said Cory Peeke, Nightingale Gallery director. “We recognize and encourage these students’ creativity and future artistic pursuits as well as applaud the hard work and dedication of their teachers who devotedly cultivate such promising young talent.”
The Nightingale Gallery is located in Loso Hall on the EOU campus in La Grande. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, check Instagram and Facebook.
