Sheldon Museum of Art announces poetry contest winners

From more than 250 entries, Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced the winners and finalists in the Nebraska Poets on Sheldon Paintings Contest.

An awards reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. April 25 in conjunction with the opening of the "Poets on Painters" exhibition at the museum. The winners will read their poems about the Sheldon artworks that inspired them. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. A cash prize of $100 will be awarded to the winners in each of the contest's four age categories. Four finalists per category will also be honored with additional prizes. The winners and finalists in each category are:

Grades K-5: Winner -- James Reywaldt-Alexander, Grade 3, LPS Elementary Montessori Program/Everett Elementary (Lincoln), "Untitled (into/water shadow)" (after "Night" by Max Weber). Finalists -- Ryan McManaman, Grade 5, Humann Elementary (Lincoln), "A Mountainous Morning in the Forest" (after Marsden Hartley's "Painting Number One, 1913"); Cassie Failor, Grade 4, Lakeview Elementary (Lincoln), "Untitled ("Henri speaks through trees but not with words") after Robert Henri's "Woods Interior"); Luta Menard, Grade 2, LPS Elementary Montessori Program/Everett Elementary (Lincoln), "Untitled ("trees by the water")" (after Albert Bierstadt's "River Landscape"); Camille Hannah, Grade 4, Eastridge Elementary (Lincoln), "This Was The Most Interesting Painting I Could Find" (after Frank Tuchfarber's "The Old Violin").

Grades 6-8: Winner -- Monica Claesson, Grade 8, home school (Lincoln), "Untold Voyage" (after Jacob Lawrence's "Paper Boats"). Finalists -- Bethany Thornton, Grade 6, home school (Lincoln), "Fetching Jumanah" (after Henry Ossawa Tanner's "Horse of the Khedive -- Egypt"); Aubrey Thompson, Grade 8, Walnut Middle School (Grand Island), "Perspective" (after Lilian Westcott Hale's "The Convalescent"); Lauren Higgins, Grade 7, Millard Lefler Middle School (Lincoln), "Opening" (after Mark Rothko's "Yellow Band"); Derek Wallin, Grade 8, Newman Grove Public Schools (Newman Grove), "A Hunter's Night" (after Albert Pinkham Ryder's "Hunter's Rest").

Grades 9-12: Winner -- Kelly Weber, Grade 10, Battle Creek High School (Battle Creek), "Cold Breath" (after Robert Henri's "Woods Interior"). Finalists -- Leah Grace Adams, Grade 12, Lincoln High School, "Little Space" (after Edward Hopper's "Room in New York"); Carmen Claesson, Grade 9, home school (Lincoln), "Seagull Boats" (after John H. Twachtman's "Bark and Schooner"); Erica Bartz, Grade 12, Lincoln High School, "Opulence" (after Frank Duveneck's "Laughing Boy"); Erin Carey, Grade 12, Lincoln Pius X High School, "All Strung Out" (after Frank Tuchfarber's "The Old Violin").

Adult: Winner -- Rebekah Banks, Lincoln, "In Window, From Within" (after Georgia O'Keeffe's "New York, Night"). Finalists -- Sarah Voss, Omaha, "Woman Scrubbing" (after Elizabeth Terrell's "Woman Scrubbing); Richard David Wyatt, Omaha, "The City" (after Hans Hofmann's "The City"); Christine Hope Starr, Lincoln, "A Sadness" (after Mark Rothko's "Yellow Band"); Rachael Wolfe, Lincoln, "Co relation" (after Jeanne Silverthorne's "Phosphorescent Betty").

The contest judges were: for grades K-5, poet Susan Aizenberg and artist Gary Day; for grades 6-8, poet Grace Bauer and artist Ed Forde; for grades 9-12, poet Mary K. Stillwell and artist Karen Kunc; for adults, poet Hilda Raz and artist Michael James.

This contest, organized by UNL graduate student Rebecca Bednarz, was made possible with the support of a grant from the Nebraska Arts Council.

Sheldon has scheduled four creative writing workshops, open at no cost to the public, during May and June. The events are listed on the Sheldon Web site at www.sheldon.unl.edu.

"Poets on Painters," on view through June 29, is a visual and literary exhibition that pairs 20 contemporary poets with 20 contemporary paintings. It was organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan.

Sheldon Museum of Art, 12th and R streets on the UNL City Campus, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. It has more than 12,000 artworks in its collections. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is available on the Sheldon Web site. Admission to the museum is free.