Clinton Community College hosted the annual High School Fine Arts Day event as part of Community College Month hosted throughout the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. Area high schools are invited to participate in this program which celebrates art in four categories including painting, drawing, graphic arts, and mixed media. A reception was held on April 9 to exhibit the work and to announce the winners.
CCC received 55 entries into the 2026 contest demonstrating the talent of area high school students. CCC President Dr. Brian Kelly commented, “It’s great time of year to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our local high school artist. The depth of style and perspectives is always amazing.”
Fine Arts Committee Chairperson Courtney Pritchard shared, “This event is a great chance to see and showcase what our local high school students are producing. Their range and ability is amazing, and it's wonderful to see how some of them grow in their art every year when they enter.”
The first place submittal receives a CCC Paul B. Sharar Foundation tuition voucher for a 3-credit class at Clinton Community College. Second place winners receive a $50 gift card for arts supplies, funded through the Paul B. Sharar Foundation.
The 2026 winners are:
Drawing
1-Kyra Schafer - Clinton High School – Photographed in Charcoal
2-Cupid Bowman – Clinton High School - The Beauty of Identity
Graphic Arts
1-Eloise Brisch – Clinton High School - Penitence
2-Blake Foster – Clinton High School - All seeing
Mixed Media
1-Grace Kaye - Reimagine of Peter Ruben's Prometheus bound
2-Lilly Lampe-Love over hate
Painting
1-Marissa Fee-"knowing the end is near"
2-Audri Guldner-City Lights
The community is invited to see the winning artwork currently exhibited in the CCC Library Art Gallery, 1000 Lincoln Blvd., Clinton, IA. For more information about community college month at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, visit https://eicc.edu/news/2026-community-college-month.aspx.
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