Juror: Mel Tychonviech
Melissa Agnes Tychonievich is a professional artist from to St. Louis, Missouri. They received their Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting and Art History at the Kansas City Art Institute in 2017, and their Masters of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Miami in 2021. Their work is rooted in the foundational practice of recording perceptual information from observation, specifically figurative drawing and painting from life. They have been featured nationally, including at the H and R Bloch Artspace in Kansas City, Missouri; the Old Courthouse Arts Center in Woodstock, Illinois; the University of Miami Art Gallery in Wynwood; and locally at Framations Gallery, Soulard Art Gallery, Fontbonne University, the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, and the Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. They currently live with their partner in St. Louis, Missouri, and teach as an Adjunct Professor of Art and Art History at St. Louis Community College and St. Charles Community College.
Juried High Schools
Belleville East High School, Belleville West High School, Clayton High School, DeSmet, Eureka High School, Francis Howell Central High School, John Burroughs High School, John Burroughs School, Kirkwood High School, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, Lafayette High School, Mehlville High School, Metro High School, MICDS, Nerinx Hall High School, North County High School, O’Fallon Township High School, Parkway South High School, Parkway West High School, Pattonville High School, Principia School, Salem High School, St. Dominic High School, St. John Vianney High School, St. Joseph’s Academy, Villa Duchesne High School, Webster Groves High School, Westminster Christian Academy, and Whitfield School.
Award Winners:
Frani Weinstock Scholarship $1000
Qixi Huang, Blue Herring, oil on canvas, 36’’x36’’, Instructor: Kami Chavarin, Clayton High School
Louetta Buechler Scholarship $1000
Wilson Walker, Loss and Acceptance with Bluejays and Cardinals, reduction linocut print, 12’’x28’’, triptych, Instructor: Kami Chavarin, Clayton High School
1st Place $500
Priyada Atteberry, Portrait of the Artist - My Favorite Sweater, colored pencil on paper, 20’’x16’’, Instructor: Rob Thornberry, Belleville West High School
2nd Place $250
Natalia Gumpel, Coral Reef Teapot, white Earthenware clay, glaze, 6’’x10’’x5’’, Instructor: Ashley Drissell, Parkway West High School
3rd Place $150
Addie Fischer, As Audrey Hepburn, digital photograph, 12’’x8’’, Instructor: Ryan Paluczak, St. Joseph’s Academy,
Joanne Stremsterfer Prize $50
Gigi Koster, Vida Podria cb, styrofoam, stone and glass beads, 12’’x12’’, Instructor: Brad Heinemann, MICDS
Jim Firestone Memorial Award $50
Audrey Young, Morning, colored pencils, 15’’x20’’, Instructor: Patricia Chavez, Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Honorable Mention $25
Addie Brinckwirth, Childhood Nostalgia, acrylic on canvas, 14’’x11’’, Instructor: Christine Sarra, Villa Duchesne High School
Honorable Mention $25
Diana Ivanova, Yummy In My Tummy, ceramic, 2’’x13’’x8’’, Instructor: Jono Robbins, Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Honorable Mention $25
Ava Sens, Vigorous Cycle, mixed media, cardboard, wire, cut-up pill bottles, 10’’x13’’x13’’, Instructor: Cameron Queen, North County High School
Honorable Mention $25
Cherrynne Cariazo, Untitled, embroidery and watercolor, 6’’x6’’, Instructor: Ariane Vagen, Mehlville High School
