The Visual Arts Classic (VAC) is a competition for art students in grades 9–12. The competition features studio categories involving a long-term project and an onsite short-term team project. The competition features studio categories (usually 11 or 12) and an annually changing theme. The theme for the 2023–2024 school year was “Art and Color.” Some featured studio categories include drawing, painting, graphic design, digital/traditional photography, fiber arts, etcetera. Students are involved in in-depth research on about a dozen selected artists whose work relates to the theme. Scores are earned both individually and as a team. Teams compete in a “critical thinking” team project as well as an “art history quiz bowl” relating to the selected theme and artists.
When asked about this year’s team, advisor Whitney Robarge said, “This year, our Visual Arts Classic Team was a diverse mix, mainly comprising younger members and newcomers, as we had only one senior member. Initially, my goal was simply to introduce them to the competition and help them settle in, with hopes of building a stronger team for the future.”
The Lodi VAC team has been organized by Robarge since 2012. This year’s team consists of around 16 people, including the alternates. The artists range from sophomores to seniors. Each year, as the senior artists graduate, it leaves room for new members to join the team. This year, the team consists of senior Camila Becerril; juniors Adrianna Gonzalez, Olivia Tirrel, Arrow Schilling, Kai Hall, and Audrey Dallman; sophomores Charlotte Leu, Scarlett Reppen, Keleigh Bannach, Annika Smith, Alannah Moen, and Jester Smith; and alternates sophomore Katherine Hall, junior Amelia Clark, senior Mac Chambers, and sophomore Juniper Schmidt.
Over the winter months, the student artists worked on their long-term projects that were judged at regionals in Whitewater on February 16th. After setting up their long-term projects, each medium was sent to complete their short-term prompts. At the end of the day, their achievements were quite impressive: they took first place in critical thinking, secured third place in the quiz bowl, and landed second overall at the event, sending them to state.
The state competition took place on March 25 at UW Madison. The long-term projects that received first place at regionals were once again judged, and each medium that received first place on short terms at regionals was sent to complete their short-term prompts for the state competition. Nearly everyone participated in either the onsite competition, long-term project, or both, showcasing their commitment and potential.
When the team was asked about this year’s season, many expressed how quiz bowl was their favorite part, along with the connections made during the season. Arrow Schilling said, “My favorite part about VAC was the connections I made with my teammates.”
This year’s theme was also a team-pleaser, as many, like Audrey Dallman, said, “The theme this year was perfect because it was about color, and I am a very colorful person. The prompts this year were pretty open, and I liked that students could do what they wanted but still had a good guide to work off of.”
And this year’s only senior, Camilia Becerril, said, “I think this has been my favorite theme; I just wish I had more freedom in what I could draw. We were very good; we were a solid team. I am graduating, but I wish the rest of the team the best. I look forward to seeing what they create.”
When asked about the team’s achievements this year, Robarge said, “They pleasantly surprised me by exceeding expectations despite their limited experience. Individual successes were notable: Jester excelled with their long-term digital art piece, Audrey impressed with first place in both long-term and onsite personal adornment categories, and Arrow earned gold in art history onsite and silver in long-term. Additionally, Scarlett’s long-term painting earned her first place, Keleigh showed skill with a silver in graphic design onsite, Kai stood out with a gold in long-term digital photography, and Olivia Tirrel took home two gold medals for her art history expertise in both long-term and onsite categories.” She also said, “Behind these achievements lies a tight-knit team bonded by mutual support. They offered each other assistance and advice, collaborated effectively on critical thinking and the quiz bowl, and each contributed to the team’s success through their individual efforts in time management and scoring points.”
