(La Porte, IN) - A high school art contest was held recently to honor a famous artist who got his start right here in La Porte County.
Isamu Noguchi graduated from La Porte High School in 1922 and went on to become one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. A group of La Porteans, in cooperation with the La Porte County Public Library, have dubbed this month “Noguchi November” to commemorate the artist’s achievements. Winners of the second annual Isamu Noguchi Art Contest were honored at a ceremony last week at the library’s main branch.
Eleventh grader Michaela Miller won the top prize out of approximately 100 entries from four La Porte County schools. Michaela explained her Noguchi-inspired sculpture. “It’s a face made out of sticks, and the inside is hollow,” she said, “and there’s a candle in the middle to signify how Noguchi sparked a relationship between nature and modern things in his artwork.”
The final project, Miller said, was a bit of an improvisation. Her initial attempt, a paper mache sculpture, fell apart. Taking inspiration from a tree outside her kitchen window, Miller collected the sticks and pulled an all-nighter to get the winning project completed.
A panel of judges selected three finalists who won cash prizes, as well as ten honorable mention awards, all of whom are listed below:
1st Place - Michaela Miller, La Porte High School
2nd Place - Abigail Smolnicky, Westville High School
3rd Place - Nicola Xidias, New Prairie High School
The following student artists received an "Honorable Mention" for their work:
Nathanial Bosse , Westville High School
Pooja Verma, La Porte High School
Alden E. Pinkton, La Porte High School
Mara Dhoore, La Porte High School
Regen Lenson, Westville High School
Shy Stout, Westville High School
Katelyn Shelton, New Prairie High School
Kaylynn Baumann, Westville High School
Maddie Cole, Westville High School
Megan A. Carmickle, Westville High School
