Local high school students graced the halls of Northern Michigan College’s Dennos Museum at the beginning of June along with other art competitions including Willow Tree and Exposures high school art competitions in May.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary graduate Leah Fleis made a peach bowl to honor her family roots of harvesting peaches that got into all three art shows over the past month.
“My grandpa has a peach farm, so that’s a big part of my piece,” Fleis said. “I always help him pick peaches and I help my grandma prepare before the season.
“Whenever I get them, I always freeze them so I can have them all year and then I just wanted to make this bowl for them.”
Fleis’ art piece brings her back memories of her grandma and family mixing orange juice with peaches before freezing them.
St. Mary art teacher Deb Schutt is proud of Fleis’ art performances in all three competitions.
“It was so fun to have Leah in class ... This is a beautiful tribute for the family. She wanted to create something she could use,” Schutt said.
Only 36 students made it into the Dennos Museum student art show out of the five northwest Michigan counties.
“(Seeing your artwork at Dennos Museum) is like seeing the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian Museum,” Schutt said.
St. Mary classmates, graduate Della Bunek, and junior Cathryn Mikowski also succeeded in the art competition.
Bunek claimed first place in the competition along with Mikowski’s third. Leland’s Mallory Lowe, Olive Ryder and Natalie Burpee were also displayed at the Dennos Museum.
