18th Annual CAC Peoria Area Juried High School Art Exhibition

The Contemporary Art Center is proud to show off the outstanding work of our area high school students. Students may enter up to two pieces. All area high schools are invited to participate. The teachers from most schools usually organize the students’ work and deliver it but any individual high school age student may enter on their own. We are grateful for the dedication teachers possess to organize, promote and educate their students.

See PROSPECTUS for more details. Print out the ENTRY FORM.

2024 was the last year we offered this exhibit. In that year, 129 students from 9 area high schools submitted 172 pieces and 129 pieces were chosen to exhibit. The exhibit is designed to simulate typical juried art exhibits in which artists typically pay fees of $25-40 to submit work that may not be chosen by the juror to be displayed.

Each year, a retired high school art teacher serves as the juror and judge, choosing which works will be exhibited as well as designating pieces deserving of special honor with awards of Outstanding Achievement, Honorable Mention and Merit. Besides a ribbon, each award winner receives a scholarship towards an art class at the Contemporary Art Center.

The annual exhibit was founded in 2004 by Executive Director William Butler and his former high school teacher Michael Hagenbuch, then newly retired from Limestone Community High School. Hagenbuch served as the first juror/judge and for some years after continued to volunteer in support of the exhibit.