Annual Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Student Art Show

Exhibition on View: March 7-29 during National Youth Art Month

Opening Reception for Grades 6-12:
Friday, March 7th, 2025. 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Award Ceremony for Grades 6-8:  5:30 p.m.
Award Ceremony for Grades 9-12: 6:30 p.m.

Reception and Award Ceremony for Grades K-5: 
Sunday, March 9th, 2025. 2:00-3:00 p.m.

(Gallery opens at noon on First Fridays)

The Bear Gallery is located on the third floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts building in Pioneer Park, 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Admission to the Bear Gallery is free of charge and open to the public.

Don’t miss this vibrant exhibition of student artwork that Fairbanks Arts and the community look forward to during Youth Art Month every year!

Art is key to a complete education and is a powerful vehicle for expression, exploration, and skill-building– Fairbanks Arts is proud to present the Up With Art student art exhibition in partnership with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD). K–12 grade students enrolled in an FNSBSD-affiliated institution were invited to submit one piece of art made at home or in school to the Up With Art student art exhibition!

We are excited to announce this year’s Jurors:

Jessica Farr – Fairbanks Children’s Museum Education & Outreach Director
Nick LaJiness – Fairbanks Assembly Member
Yatibaey Evans – Creative Producer for the PBS series, MOLLY OF DENALI
Mayor Grier Hopkins – Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor
Sasha Bitzer – Assistant Professor of Printmaking & Painting at UAF
Tamara Wilson – Executive Director of The Lemonade Stand, a mobile art space that travels across Alaska

While students may submit any artwork to this exhibition, Fairbanks Arts invited K-5 students to create artwork inspired by the categories of Imagination, Stories, Connection, and Hope. Community judges will name five awardees in each of these categories.

Grades 6-8 student artworks will be reviewed by our guest artist judges for the awards of Best of Show, 2nd Place, or 3rd Place in two-dimensional and three-dimensional categories.

Grades 9-12 student artwork will be eligible for the awards of Best of Show for each two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork and First, Second, and Third place in media-based categories. 

Categories include:

• drawing
• painting
• printmaking
• photography
• digital and graphic arts
• ceramics
• sculpture
• jewelry
• mixed media 
• fiber arts
• Native arts

2025 awardees announced!

High School Awardees:

Best in Show 2D: Ali Acosta, 12th Grade, A Walk Through Denali

Best in Show 3D: Aylin Hawkins, 12th Grade, Sandy Shores

Drawing & Graphic Art
1st. Mark Yang, 11th Grade, Halaboji (Grandfather in Korean)
2nd. Camille Russell-Lew, 10th Grade, The Piano of Interest
3rd.Gus Johns, 10th Grade, The Apple

Painting
1st. Shayla Mazer, 11th Grade, Free Flight
2nd. Arlene Adams, 12th Grade, Kinley
3rd. Aster Bent, 12th Grade, Untitled

Photography
1st. Ali Acosta, 12th Grade, A Walk Through Denali
2nd. Alex Stevens, 11th Grade, Airtime
3rd. Carter Addison, 9th Grade, Fire Flickture 1

Ceramics
1st. Noah Meierotto, 12th Grade, Tenjō
2nd. Cynara Koch, 10th Grade, Love of the Sea- Set
3rd. Regan Fowler, 10th Grade, Sweet Summer

Jewelry
1st. Ellie Buth, 12th Grade, Good Fortune
2nd. Caleb Martz, 9th Grade, Kenai Caribou
3rd. Spencer Stellrecht, 10th Grade, Vidar

Mixed Media
1st. Joanna Peng, 12th Grade, Out of the Mind
2nd. Azalea Nichols, 11th Grade, Untitled
3rd. Diana Valencia-Arenas, 9th Grade, Burst

Fiber Arts
1st. Olivia Miller, 12th Grade, Daisy Cardigan
2nd. Amaya Foltz, 11th Grade, My Pattern- Axolotl
3rd. Jeremiah Bayles, 10th Grade Halibut Cowl

Native Arts
1st. Ch’eelil Peter, 12th Grade, Under you forever
2nd. Phoebe Wooller, 9th Grade, Kayuqtuq and Tulugaq, The Fox and The Raven Mittens
3rd. Torleif Bentzen, 10th Grade, Mundilfari

Sculpture
1st. Grace Bredlie, 11th Grade, Marionette Trio
2nd. Django Gianakopoulos, 10th Grade, A Committee of Turns
3rd. Lilli Bond, 9th Grade, Shredding the Hills

Digital Arts
1st. Sophia Potter, 10th Grade, A Dream of the Sea
2nd. Endelyn Whitton, 9th Grade, Solstice Night
3rd. Patience Larrabee, 11th Grade, The Battle Between Truth and Deceit

Voice of the Materials
1st. Alyssa Hansen, 11th Grade, Serenity
2nd. Elizabeth Kim, 11th Grade, Autumn’s Memories
3rd. Alyssa Wendt, 12th Grade, Sea Turtle

6 – 8th Grade Awardees:

Two-Dimensional
1st. Logan Gardella, 7th Grade, Chicken
2nd. Penelope Giuliani, 6th Grade, Dark Nights
3rd. Cora Harvey, 6th Grade, Cat In The Window

Three-Dimensional
1st. Connor Harty, 6th Grade, When No One Is Around To See
2nd. Aia Bezdek, 6th Grade, Vacation Shoe
3rd. Marisol Castaneda, 8th Grade, Snake

K – 5th Grade Awardees:

Imagination
Daniel Byrne, Kindergarten, Scorpion Blood Beast
Marlena Hale, 4th Grade, Sailing Through Dreams
Jaxson Redmond, 5th Grade, Best of Both Worlds
Nora Schultz, 4th Grade, Rainbow Donut Shoe
Savanna Wilson, 4th Grade, Abstract Monkey

Stories
Dakota Fontana, 2nd Grade, Love
Mia Li, Kindergarten, Untitled
Cora Paris-Hansen, 5th Grade, Walking in Rain
Walter Plocher, 3rd Grade, Beanie
Icel Winterstein, 4th Grade, Sunset on the Lake

Connection
Camila Ashcraft, 2nd Grade, The Snoring Bear
Lucie Baird, 3rd Grade, Moongazing
Lyric Elterman, 5th Grade, Side Eye
Rhys Ott, 1st Grade, Forest Friends
Penny Reuter, 4th Grade, I’m Watching You

Hope
Vincent Berriochoa, 4th Grade, An Alaskan Winter Dream
Lisette Carroll, Kindergarten, Midnight Sun Blooms: Nature’s Golden heART
Malia Causin, 2nd Grade, Balancing Birds
Michelle Chen, 4th Grade, Apple Study
Isadora Ott, 3rd Grade, BumbleDeer

Admission to the Bear Gallery is free, thanks to the generosity of Fairbanks Arts’ members and donors.

See the FNSB Mayor Hopkins’ proclamation naming March 2025 Youth Art Month below!

Thank you to our special sponsor of the 2025 Up With Art exhibition:

Whatever sparks your child’s imagination and curiosity, Alaska 529 can help you save for it. Alaska 529 is an education savings plan designed to make it easy for parents and loved ones to save for education. Learn more at Alaska529plan.com

Did you know that you can make a direct donation to support Fairbanks Arts’ Arts Education programs? Simply select the amount and frequency of your charitable contribution on the form below and select “Arts Education Programs” in the “Designate Your Gift” dropdown!

Thank you for supporting Arts Education programs of Fairbanks Arts Association like Up With Art!