Student artists to be featured, recognized at Lawrence Arts Center’s Final Friday reception

Lawrence students will exhibit their visual artworks and be recognized with youth achievement awards at the Lawrence Arts Center’s Final Friday event this month.

The Lawrence Vanguard Awards recognize Lawrence Public Schools student artists every year. Art teachers in the district select work to be showcased in an annual exhibit that emphasizes “the value of arts learning and the importance of arts programs in public education,” according to the arts center’s website.

Three awards, including the main Vanguard Award, the Trailblazer Award and the Catalyst Award, are presented with cash prizes. The Vanguard Emerging Artist Awards grant one student in each grade, kindergarten through eighth grade, and their teacher a free arts class at the center.

Additionally, Hang12, a collective of Free State and Lawrence high school student artists, will debut “Transferred Inspiration: Boundless.” The group developed the new collection at school using skills they learned in workshops with the arts center’s artists-in-residence, Anthony Corraro and Gabriel John Poucher, according to the center’s website.

The reception is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 25 at the Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St. in downtown Lawrence. It’s free to attend and all are welcome.

Studios will be open to explore with free artmaking and activities from 4 to 6:30 p.m., and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Vanguard Award winners will be announced on the main stage.

Businesses and organizations around town host arts and culture events as part of Final Friday, held on the last Friday of each month.

Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

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