Talented Mountain Home Artist Attends UA Little Rock artWAYS Program
An award-winning high school artist from Mountain Home learned new skills and took her talents to new heights as a participant at the 2023 artWAYS Summer Visual Arts program at UA Little Rock.
As the 11th grade winner of the Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Gabriella Dover, a rising senior at Mountain Home High School, was guaranteed one of 45 spots in UA Little Rock’s artWAYS workshop for juniors and seniors taking place June 17-24.
“My winning piece was a charcoal self-portrait that showed one face that merged into another,” Dover said. “It was the first piece I did this year, and it went to the competition and won first in my class! My inner child was really happy with the news. It has boosted my confidence in my art.”
Out of more than 350 submissions, Dover’s piece “Untitled” was one of 65 selected for AMFA’s 62nd Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition.
“AMFA’s Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition (YAA) highlights and showcases incredible artwork by students across the state,” said Patricia Graves, community engagement manager at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. “As the only statewide art competition for young artists in Arkansas, grades kindergarten through 12th grade, YAA is an essential program that emphasizes the importance of arts education and arts educators in positively shaping young lives.”
In addition to the Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition, Dover’s piece also won first place in the charcoal expressive category in the Arkansas Youth Artist Association competition.
During the summer intensive art camp, Dover and the other students learned about screen printing, jewelry making, woodworking, and Mesoamerican art history. Dover said she is most looking forward to the screen printing and jewelry making sessions as well as making new friends.
“There are not a lot of artists in Mountain Home, so I was very excited to meet people who have the same interests as me,” Dover said.
When she’s not making art, this talented teen also serves as vice president of Student Council, treasurer of Troop 6560, her high school’s theater club, and a reporter for the Arkansas Youth Artist Association.
