2025 Elementary / Middle / High School Annual Student Show!

April 7th – April 18th, 2025
Reception: Thursday, April 10th, 5PM – 6:30PM

The Octagon Center for the Arts highlights artwork by local elementary, middle, and high school students annually.

Update in regards to the Digital Show: This year, after an analysis of our entries, we have decided to eliminate the digital aspect of the student show and all artwork, regardless of artist’s grade, will be displayed physically! We will re-evaluate the digital aspect in coming years.

 GRADES 6 – 12:

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Online Form Submission Due: 11:59pm, Sunday, March 26, 2025
• Final Artwork Delivery Date: 5pm, Tuesday April 1, 2025.
• Show Opening in the Community Gallery: Monday, April 7, 2025
• Reception: Thursday, April 10, 2025, 5:00-6:30pm in the Community Gallery. Our juror will announce awards and share comments on the show.
• Show Closing in the Community Gallery: Saturday, April 18, 2025

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

• Eligible schools or homeschools must be located within 20 miles from Ames.
• All submitted artwork must be entered into the Online Form by March 26th at 11:59 pm to be included in the show.
• Each student may submit one (1) piece to exhibit. There is otherwise no limit to the number of submissions a school may submit.
• All media will be accepted.
• *AI generated Images — Images created or enhanced by use of artificial intelligence (AI) will not be accepted into this show. If we suspect an entry was created or enhanced using an AI program, we will reach out for more information. We reserve the right to disqualify a submission if we suspect the involvement of AI.
  *This excludes the use of photography filters.

Note: Photographic reproduction of entries may be used or copied by the Octagon Center for the Arts, without further agreement by the artists, for exhibition and/or publication (print or online). Artwork may not be credited in publications due to space limitations.

2025 JUROR: Anna Segner

A Minnesota native, Anna Segner, is a studio artist focused in painting, mixed media and assemblage. In her practice, Anna incorporates critical animal studies and other research to question the human act of “toying” with animals and nature. Anna earned her MFA from Iowa State University in spring of 2019, and she graduated from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature with Writing Emphasis and Studio Art. Between studies she worked as a newspaper reporter in southern Minnesota. She currently teaches drawing in the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Iowa State University.

This show is made possible thanks to our supporters!

Brown Endowment Fund
Stone Endowment Fund

QUESTIONS?

Contact: Casey Bridgham, Gallery Director

Address: 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA 50010

Phone: 515-232-5331

Email: exhibits@octagonarts.org