By Chris Yow
Editor
CLAY — Clay-Chalkville High School art teacher loves to brag on her students. Most recently, she found a way to brag on junior art student Hannah Goodwin.
Hannah Goodwin
Goodwin had an art piece selected for the Durbin Gallery Southeastern High School art competition. The Biennial Southeastern Regional High School Juried Art Competition and Exhibition at Birmingham Southern College has a nearly 40-year history. It is open to students at high schools across the Southeast, and the show is juried by full-time Birmingham Southern College art studio faculty with monetary and honorary awards presented.
Goodwin said she was honored to be chosen as a participant in the show, but also hoped her piece was good enough to win.
“It’s really competitive because of all of the states that are involved. I hope it can win; I’m just really honored to be part of the show,” Goodwin said.
Parris chose to submit Goodwin’s self-portrait in part because her students really gravitated to the piece when it was finished.
“During our critique almost each student was drawn to her piece because it looked so much like her, and she’d spent so much time on it,” Parris said. “I like for my students to hear comments from the other students as well as my comments because it helps us to learn.”
Hannah Goodwins self-portrait Submitted photo
This is Parris’ first year as a high school art teacher after eight years after being an elementary school teacher. She paneled other high school art teachers on what projects the students in those classes enjoyed. This was a project many of her students enjoyed and thrived with, and out of it came a work that will be on display for judgement in a prestigious competition.
“I had to pick the most successful pieces to submit. This show, they accept work from 10 different states in the Southeastern region, and it only happens every two years, so it’s very competitive,” Parris said.
Goodwin, however, was initially unhappy with the work.
“I didn’t even like it at first. It looked really weird. Once it all came together, I was really happy with it,” she said.
The piece it replaced?
“It was an OK piece,” Goodwin described.
While Goodwin is a talented artist according to Parris, she plans to go into the nursing field following high school.
“I know she wants to go into nursing, so I’ve tried to talk to her about how she can use things she’s learned in this class to use that in nursing,” Parris said.
But Goodwin isn’t going to give art up completely.
“I love art. I like drawing, looking at pictures and drawing; making them my own,” she said. “ want to be a nurse, but as a hobby I definitely want to continue doing art.”
Parris described Goodwin as tedious and detailed, and said she is very proud to have her in this show.
“I told a lot of my students not to get upset if they didn’t get in. I didn’t know if anything would get in. There are only four or five schools in Jefferson County that will be represented at this show,” Parris said. “But Hannah deserves this, and I am proud she is able to represent our school.”
