Central Bucks West Student Wins Best Of Show At Phillips' Mill

NEW HOPE, PA — A Central Bucks West High School student has won Best of Show at the 10th Annual Youth Art Exhibition at historic Phillips' Mill.

Delia McHugh won top honors for her painting, "Portrait of a Dreamer."

Kenoka Wagner, a prolific artist and the owner of the 2nd Floor Art Gallery in Revere who juried the show, said he selected the piece for “its unteachable sensitivity, originality in the use of materials, conveyance of theme, and overall presentation!”

This year's show featured 140 works of art by students from high schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The show continues this weekend, Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19.

“There were so many amazing, inspired works in this year’s show," said Wanger, a mixed media artist, painter, printmaker and sculptor. "I wish I could have given them all awards.”

Wagner selected awards in five categories with digital art making a debut this year: Painting, Works on Paper, 3-Dimensional Art, Photography (film and digital), Digital Art (excluding photography).

Also garnering top honors in their categories were Suren Tarafder of West Windsor-Plainsboro South High School in New Jersey for the painting, Sam; Ryan Bender of Central Bucks High School West for works on paper, Richfield 1959; Britney Thompson of George School for three-dimensional works, Untitled; Kristina Wang of the Princeton Day School for photography, 8 Degrees; and Eva Cheng of The Hun School in Princeton for digital art, Inner Beauty.

From left: "Sam," a painting by Suren Tarafder of West Windsor-Plainsboro South High School; "Richfield 1959," a work on paper by Ryan Bender, a student at Central Bucks West High School; and "Untitled," a 3-dimentional work by Britney Thompson of George School.

In total, 22 public and private schools from a 25-mile radius of the Mill are participating in this year’s show: Central Bucks High School East, Central Bucks High School South, Central Bucks High School West, Council Rock High School North, Council Rock High School South, Ewing High School, George School, Hillsborough High School, Holy Ghost Prep, Hopewell Valley Central High School, The Hun School of Princeton, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Neshaminy High School, New Hope-Solebury High School, The Pennington School, Pennsbury High School, Princeton Day School, Solebury School, Stuart Country Day School, Upper Dublin High School, Villa Victoria Academy, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South.

The show opened January 29, and can be viewed this weekend, its final two days, February 18 and 19 from 12 to 4 p.m. at Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, just north of New Hope. It can also be viewed online at www.phillipsmill.org/art/youth-art-exhibition.

The Youth Art Exhibition is the only show of its kind in the area, providing a distinctive avenue for students to gain exposure and experience exhibiting their work in a professional setting. In providing opportunities for the next generation of emerging artists, Phillips’ Mill continues to embrace its roots in nurturing the arts in our community. There are no fees for artists or schools to participate in the show. No entry fees are charged to see the show. No commissions on sales are taken by Phillips’ Mill.

The Youth Art Exhibition is entirely funded by the Mill, Mill members, and generous sponsors of the show.

Phillips' Mill welcomes the participation of all interested area schools. If you are interested in learning how your school can participate in next year’s show, email youth-art@phillipsmill.org
for information.