I love finding the person inside. There is great depth in people that we often do not notice.

— Elise Boucher, Timpview

High school is a time of finding oneself, of experimentation and discovery and sometimes pushing the limits. So, you'd expect a show of high school art to be filled with a lot of that.

And the 35th Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show Exhibition at the Springville Museum of Art is. It is also filled with a lot of very good art.

"I can't believe the quality of the art this year," says Virgil Jacobsen, curator of education at the museum. "It gets stronger year after year, but the strength of this show is amazing. A lot of that credit goes to our art teachers. They are the unsung heroes in the background."

But, he adds, a lot of the credit goes to the students themselves. "It seems like they are taking it more seriously. They are paying attention, learning their lessons." They are adept at executing the art and craft, he says, but they are also very tuned in to what makes art interesting. "They are learning original composition and balance and what goes into interesting art. That's one of the biggest challenges high school students have."

Photography is a way for men to connect to the outside world and capture the vastness and amazing beauty of nature.

—Zac Ovard, Alta

This year 860 works from 73 high schools throughout the state were entered into the show. Jurors selected 343 entries, which are displayed in eight galleries throughout the museum. "We think this is the biggest high school show in the country," says Jacobsen. "We don't know of anything else that equals it."

The jurors give out a total of 34 awards. Some 25 pieces are also chosen for a traveling exhibit that will visit towns and communities throughout the state. And each congressional district hands out seven awards. The top piece in each district will go to Washington, D.C., to be part of a special show there.

So, says Jacobsen, the Springville show really offers the students an opportunity for resume-building exposure and experience. The show was started in 1971 to provide a forum for young artists, to recognize their talent and creativity and "to prepare them for a competitive society."

We tend to notice what makes people different or stand out in crowds. Common judgment is often negative. I wanted to portray a positive difference — hopes and dreams in the middle of ordinary people.

— Christine Longhurst, Pineview

Art is submitted by the schools, rather than the individual students, although any student can have up to two pieces in the show. Each school may submit a number of entries based on a percentage of their junior and senior enrollment, with a minimum of four from each school. The artwork includes a variety of mediums and subject matter. Students are also invited to submit a written explanation of their work.