LAKE GENEVA — Walworth County high school students were honored for their outstanding works of art during an awards program Thursday, April 10, 2025 as part of the annual Student Art Show presented by the Geneva Lake Arts Foundation at Gallery 223 in downtown Lake Geneva.
According to a news release, the $750 Neal and Dotsy Heffernan Memorial Award for the best of show was presented to Conner Reed of Elkhorn Area High School for a drawing titled “My Groove.” The award was presented by Jane Ipsen of the Lake Geneva Rotary Club.
The $500 Louis Mergener Memorial Award for outstanding work was presented to Elliot Vail of Big Foot High School in Walworth for his ceramic tea set. The award was given by Tracy Mergener in honor of her father Louis.
Alexia Anaya of Badger High School in Lake Geneva received the $500 Martin Smith Memorial Award for the most creative work for her oil painting titled “Deception Then Deterioration.” The $500 John Larson Memorial Award for the most innovative work was presented to Jaelyn Logterman of Delavan-Darien High School for her “Connection of Music” painting done with oil and gouache.
The foundation presented the $500 Young Emerging Artist Award to Yaris Aranda of Elkhorn Area High School for her digital artwork titled “Portrait of God.”
The foundation also honored five students with Awards of Recognition of $100 each. They were presented to Isabel Halbesma, East Troy High School, for her oil painting “A Diabetic Reality” and Hazel Bartlett of Whitewater High School for her pen stipple work titled “My Dear Livvie.”
The other three recognition awards were presented to Layla Vos, Badger High School, for her “Under the Sea” ceramic mugs; Rubi Soto, Catholic Central High School in Burlington, for her “All Nations Come Together” painting; and Kylee Amstute, Williams Bay High School, for her ceramic work titled “The House of Harmony.”
The judges were Lisa Dukowitz of Burlington and Caroll Pearson of Lake Geneva. Both are former high school art teachers and award-winning artists who are members of the foundation.
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