26-03-2025
ECISD students heading to state VASE competition
Mar. 25—Eighteen Ector County ISD students are heading to the State Visual Arts Scholastic Event in San Marcos in April.
Nine of those students are coming from Permian High School. The trip is April 23-26 with the competition on April 26, PHS art teacher Luis Trejo Fuentes said.
Their work is currently hanging at Sedate Hall at Odessa College. An opening reception is set for 6 p.m. March 27.
"It's going to be the top artists in all of Texas competing, so about 35,000 works of art," Fuentes said.
"It's so much art that you really can't see everything," he added.
The students going to state represent the top 10 percent from Region 18.
Only the very top works in every category get a state medal. Then the judges will choose the top 2 percent to get a Gold Seal, "basically the equivalent of a gold medal in the Olympics."
"So state VASE is basically the art Olympics," Fuentes said.
The works chosen by the judges as the top artwork could be drawing, painting, printmaking or mixed media.
"We can only choose the two best artworks from each from each student, so we have to choose at least 25 pieces, but no student can have more than two pieces entered," Fuentes said.
The students are all excited about having their pieces at state.
Senior Anabelle McKay said she was very surprised and excited about going to state, as was junior Yaretzi Barrera.
Barrera said she wasn't expecting her work to make it.
Karely Villarreal said she was surprised at the size of the competition and happily surprised to be in it.
McKay said she's looking forward to seeing other artist's work.
"I"m super excited to see the different works that other students come up with. Thinking about other people my age, it was really cool to look around at this last competition to see everybody's work. I'm just super excited for that mainly, more than anything," McKay said.
Junior Isabel Reyes said she is also anticipating the trip because it sounds fun.
"It really does. But other than that I don't really care that much because I still haven't processed it all," Reyes said.
McKay said she's not sure that she wants to have art as her main occupation, but she wants to continue improving and growing.
She plans to attend Odessa College.
"I definitely want to double major in college. I want to do engineering, but also art," McKay said.
Barrera said she would like to own a gallery someday.
McKay added that she would encourage other students to try art as you never know what you're capable of.
Sophomore Carla Reynoso said art encourages creativity for everyone.
"It would be great for people to try it out," Reynoso said.
Madelis Salazar, a senior, said she has never had work in the state competition before. The same is true of the majority of the other students.
"It's new, very interesting getting to experience things that some students can't," Salazar said.
Fuentes said this is a great group of students and there are a variety of works that will be in the contest.
"I think we've got more variety this year than any other year. It's not just drawing or painting, it's all kinds of different things," he added.
ECISD Visual Art Scholastic Event (VASE) 2025 Results
This year's Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) represented a total of 716 student artworks. The event represented 6 districts, 15 schools, and 30 teachers, from across Region 18. There were a total of 379 Regional Medalists and 38 Area Medalists (going to state VASE). ECISD students were awarded 204 Regional Medals and 18 Area Medals. ECISD has 18 artworks going to the state VASE event. "We are very proud of our amazing art teachers and their very talented students. Great Job, ECISD!" said ECISD Executive Director of Fine Arts Aaron Hawley.
