Joliet, Ill. – The 2024-2025 University of St. Francis (USF) High School Art Exhibition celebrated the exceptional talent and creativity of local high school artists, showcasing over 300 works of art. The exhibition featured a diverse array of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and digital art, offering a colorful and inspiring display of student expression. This annual event not only highlighted the dedication and skill of young artists but also provided them with a platform to share their unique perspectives with the community.
The open house reception, held on at the USF Art Gallery on Saturday, January 11, 2025, welcomed over 250 attendees, creating a vibrant atmosphere of support for the artists. Awards included cash prizes for Best of Show and Honorable Mention, as well as a $10,000 Grand Prize University of St. Francis Art & Design Scholarship. Additionally, Professors Paul Erschen and Chester Costello conducted portfolio reviews for aspiring art majors, offering valuable guidance and insight into pursuing a future in the arts at USF.
Grand Prize ($10,000 USF Art & Design Scholarship): Jaidan Wilber, Reed-Custer High School
Best of Show (in each category): Painting – Avery Jaki, Oswego East High School; Photography – Tianna Romberg, Joliet Central High School; Sculpture – Abigail Juers, Lockport Township High School; Works on Paper – Eduardo Patino Perales, Joliet Central High School, and; Digital/Other – Alivia Schertz, Joliet Catholic Academy.
Honorable Mention: Giovanni Baldo, Reed-Custer High School, Samia Britt, Oswego High School, Addison Brown, Reed-Custer High School, Esmé Bryson, Joliet Central High School, Hailie Carpenter, Reed-Custer High School, Aron Chimmy, Joliet Central High School, Aarushi Das, Illinois Math and Science Academy, Aahana Das, Illinois Math and Science Academy, Elissa Dulce, Benet Academy, Harley Engdahl, Oswego High School, Jamie Garcia, Bremen High School, Eva Genova, Joliet Catholic Academy, Yuvia Hernandez, Joliet Central High School, Aleise Hewitt, Plainfield South High School, Ellen Hsuan, Illinois Math and Science Academy, Tommy Jemilo, Joliet Central High School, Rae Kraus, Coal City High School, Samantha Lascari, Benet Academy, Korina Mongirdas, Benet Academy, Ingrid Pizano, Joliet Central High School, Faith Pondelicek, Plainfield South High School, Kaitlin Russell, Oswego High School, Cadence Smorynski, Lockport Township High School, Ivy Sontag-Amezcua, Joliet Central High School, Makyah Stallings, Joliet Central High School, Nicole Thornton, Lockport Township High School, and Addison Tyner, Oswego High School.
Award of Excellence: Sarah Boness, Oswego High School; Chaylene Crews, Reed-Custer High School; Olivia Esparza, Reed-Custer High School; Amilio Gonzalez, Joliet Central High School; Jordan Henry, Illinois Math and Science Academy; Cynara Jackson, Oswego High School; Kennedy Martinis, Benet Academy, and; Madalyn Petersen, Coal City High School.
Participating Students: Benet Academy – Maisie Carr, Victoria Drozdowicz, Elissa Dulce, Samantha Lascari, Kennedy Martinis, Korina Mongirdas and Lucy Rooney; Bremen High School – Kaylian Alexandre and Jamie Garcia; Coal City High School – Blake Huddlestun, Rae Kraus, Leo McCants, Avery McConnell, Mackenzie Messina, Ava Meyer, Madalyn Petersen, Tyson Sample and Winter Wills; Illinois Math and Science Academy – Aini Ahmed, Aahana Das, Aarushi Das, Cameron Eddinton, Jordan Henry, Ellen Hsuan, Vivian Ludwig, Nathan McMeen, Megan Onorato and Brent Rodrigo; Joliet Catholic Academy – Olivia Chovanec, Eva Genova, Ava Pritz and Alivia Schertz; Joliet Central High School – Julie Aragon, Abril Arias, Esmé Bryson, Aron Chimmy, Rusten Deihs, Angel DuBose, Amilio Gonzalez, Yuvia Hernandez, Tommy Jemilo, Cecil Littlejohn, Adriel Magana, Rauri O’Hara, Eduardo Patino Perales, Ingrid Pizano, Manuel Reyes, Edwin Robles, Tianna Romberg, Ivy Sontag-Amezcua, Da’Siah Spearman and Makyah Stallings; Lockport Township High School – Deshawn Andrew, Jack Dewey, Ollie Evans, Gianna Frieri, Abigail Hogan, Abigail Juers, Tyler Kouba, Liliana Leone, Monica Marcial, Kyan Santiago, Emily Smart, Cadence Smorynski, Natalie Strejc and Nicole Thornton; Oswego East High School – Joan Allen, Shayan Chittanoori, Avery Jaki, Madeline Kornelik, Payton Lustrup, Braxton Lyons, Jackson Mancuso, Denae Mason, Addison Peter, Madison Pony, Taytum Puls, Austin Sitterly and Abigail Tinajero; Oswego High School – Isabel Ames, Emma Auten, Leona Bateman, Makenzie Benz, Sarah Boness, Samia Britt, Owen Brungart, Kimberly Bustamante, Ava Coronel, Sohayla Curry, Ava DeSanto, Harley Engdahl, Lillian Felker, Alexandria Flores, Larissa Funkhouser, Mia Gaspar, Laila Green, Prisha Gupta, Joslynn Hennagan, Juanmanuel Hernandez, Cynara Jackson, Kobe Jones, Alanna Kozbiel, Sophia Lopez, Perla Melgoza, Elsa Norman-Mennig, Sadie Oehelerking, Cassidy Ogden, Sofia Petrella, Ava Pinks, Brenda Plata, Joelynn Portillo, Aidan Quach, Lynn Rameriz, Keagan Reiseck, Carson Rogers, Kaitlin Russell, Anna Singh, Kaylani Toum, Addison Tyner, Nguyen Van, Arianna Vargas, Jacob Wester, Robbie Wilson and Salvador Woolever; Plainfield South High School – Shelby Ellermann, Aleise Hewitt, Noah Mahlberg, Evelyn Myers, Faith Pondelicek, Viviana Ramos and Zach Wild; Reed-Custer High School – Giovanni Baldo, Brock Billingsley, Addison Brown, Holly Brumfield, Hailie Carpenter, Abigail Cousins, Chaylene Crews, Olivia Esparza, Dakota Evans, Natalie Flores, Meghan Lamping, Samantha Mahr, Zacharey Markle, Hailey Praner, Jaidan Wilber and Skylar Zebell.
About the USF Art Gallery
The USF Art Gallery is located at 25 E. Van Buren Street in Joliet and is open to the public every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the gallery, visit stfrancis.edu/artgallery or contact Jennifer Moore, Gallery Director, at jmoore@stfrancis.edu.
: :
The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.
