By Kathy Collins

The current exhibit at Center Place is the 4th Annual Little Monsters Create Children’s Art Show. The creativity of the young artists was celebrated at an Artists’ Reception and Award Ceremony held at Center Place last month. The multimedia show features drawings, paintings, photography and sculptures created by children ages 4 to 13.

The judge for the show was Jennie Sikora-Muehl, an artist and art instructor at Center Place. Sikora-Muehl said of the children’s artwork and judging the show, “It is very difficult to jury a show. You all have so much wonderful imagination, and your artwork is fun and festive.” Sikora-Muehl encouraged the children to never give up on art and to keep experimenting with color and media.

Each child who entered received a certificate of achievement and a goodie bag filled with fun items from local businesses.

The show was divided into three age groups. The first place winner in the 4 to 6 age group was Reese Kennington with A Walk in The Woods. Sritanvi Vinjamuri took second place with Halloween, and Kurt Carpenter was awarded third place for Farmhouse.

The first place winner in the seven to nine age group was Izzy Carpenter with Leaf and Flower. Second place went to Sophia Marchese with Sunset at Sea. Alexy Chazares was awarded third place for Deer in a Beautiful Day.

In the 10 to 13 age group, the first place winner was Kate Tumlin with Pure Imagination. Second place went to Christyan Chazares for Forest Trail. The third place winner in this age group was Shruthi Jayaraman for Star by the Ocean.

The Center Place award for Best of Show went to Izzy Carpenter for her sculpture Boston Power. This is a paper mache sculpture of her dog as a super hero. Carpenter said, “My dog inspired me. I did not start out creating this for the show; it was just for fun, but I really liked it so I entered it.”

The Little Creatures Create Art Show is open to all area children ages four to 13 regardless of whether they take classes at Center Place. Lisa Rodriquez, marketing director for Center Place said, “The show is meant to inspire young artists and to show them rewards for their work.”

Center Place is located at 619 Vonderburg Dr. in Brandon. Visit centerplacebrandon.org or call 685-8888.

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