Home school student wins MHAM contest

A Poplar Bluff home school student has captured several awards in an annual competition hosted by Margaret Harwell Art Museum, including Best in Show.

Mattilyn Stacy won the top award with a colored pencil and ink drawing titled, “Meg.” Stacy also won first place in painting.

Her work and other entries in the 20th Annual High School Juried Exhibit will remain on display through the end of May, said MHAM Director Steve Whitworth. The museum also is now displaying posters commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.

The museum has made changes to schedules for both in reaction to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The May artists originally scheduled have deferred until 2021, Whitworth said.

The awards ceremony for the high school exhibit, originally planned for April, will now be held from 1-4 p.m. May 17, if disruptions do not continue, according to Whitworth.

Events planned for Earth Day also have been rescheduled or cancelled.

The upstairs gallery at MHAM now is being used to display posters submitted in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Whitworth said.

These posters are from the T-shirt design contest sponsored by Ozark Federal Credit Union. Students of art teachers Brandon Francis and Alex Nicolini participated.

The museum is open weekdays from noon to 4 p.m., with limitations on how many people can be inside the museum. A virtual tour also is available on the MHAM Facebook page.

Poplar Bluff High School student Kaylee Merrick won first place in photography for Neon Lights.

Winners were announced for the following categories:

Painting

First place, Mattilyn Stacy, Poplar Bluff, “Cookies;” second place, Mattilyn Stacy, “Handyman;” third place, Kaylee Merrick, Poplar Bluff High School, “Stop and Smell the Daffodils;” Honorable Mention, Morgan Williams, Neelyville High School, “Under the Sea.”

Drawing

Neelyville High School student Avlynn Fletcher won first in drawing with Distressed Figure.

First place, Avlyn Fletcher, Neelyville High School, “Distressed Figure;” second place, Rachel Keele, Cape Girardeau Central High School, “Audacity;” third place, Alyssa Barker, Poplar Bluff High School, “Huemanity;” Honorable Mention, Kaylee Merrick, Poplar Bluff High School, “Wanderer,” “Pink.”

Mixed Media

First place, Zak Mayfield, Cape Girardeau Central High School, “Trippen on a Journey;” second place, Macey VanGilder, Cape Girardeau Central High School, “Endless Slumber;” third place, Trent Buckelew, Poplar Bluff High School, “Mallett;” and Honorable Mention, Zak Mayfield, Cape Girardeau Central High School, “Without a Care.”

Photography

First place, Kaylee Merrick, Poplar Bluff High School, “Neon Lights;” second place, Kaylee Merrick, Poplar Bluff High School, “Life Walk;” and third place, Mollie Davidson, Cape Girardeau Central High School, “Distanced.”

3-Dimensional

First place, Samantha Shackleford, Neelyville High School, “Vulnerable;” second place, Jessica Luke, Campbell High School, “A Hurt Incantation.”

Fiber

First place, Abigail Kester, Cape Girardeau Central High School, “Trail;” second place, Emily Shelby, Neelyville High School, “Mythical Creation;” third place, McKenzie Knapp, Poplar Bluff High School “Man`ana;” and Honorable Mention, Makayla McNeece, Neelyville High School, “Sunny Day.”