On December 22nd, at 8:00 am, the BCCHS annual 24-hour Art Challenge began. Participants picked out their canvases and paints and set up their painting spaces with their friends. Each student spent the entire day doing what they loved, having fun, and challenging themselves by making new art pieces. By the end of the 24 hours, everyone had finished their paintings and helped out with the murals throughout the classrooms and hallways.

The BCCHS Art Gala was held one month later on January 23rd in the school’s cafeteria. The event provided an opportunity for students to display their masterpieces. The Art Gala allowed parents and friends of the artists to bid on any art that was set out. Most of the art consisted of beautifully painted canvases, jewelry, and pottery. By the end of the night, everything in the room was bid on and sold. By some metrics, the 2023 Art Gala exceeded previous years. According to Kari Adams, Central’s art teacher, there were more participants this year, and there was a lot more help with the murals. “It was very successful and a fun third year for me. We raised about 3,000 dollars in total this year,” Adams said.

There were 3 works of art that were a big hit in this year’s art gala, and each sold for over a hundred dollars. First was Will Zink’s graphite sketching on a hard board depicting Jesus’ thorn crown lying on combat boots. The second, painted by Olivia Tourtlotte, was a scene from a recent family vacation. Finally, there was a hand-beaded rose medallion made by Teal Taylor. All of the work was sold this year, but, if pieces had not sold, the artists would get to keep their art.

Although this year was very successful, Adams says there are three things she’d like to change for upcoming years. The first thing she might change is decreasing the length of the 24-hour art challenge to only span 12 hours. “That way, it will force students to do their art instead of waiting until the last five hours to paint,” explained Adams. The second thing she might change for the upcoming years is having an art walk off campus to gather greater support. Thirdly, she said she may start requiring a submission as part of the application process and be more selective about who is in the challenge. She may even start requiring a teacher’s recommendation to show a student’s work ethic.

Adams believes that the 24-hour art challenge is a good way to spark students’ interests in art. “I really want to remind people that art isn’t so stuffy. They shouldn’t freak out or panic if they feel they aren’t good enough for it. Anyone can create amazing artwork if they put their mind forth and just go for it. The art challenge is a fun challenge to test your limits. It’s amazing what you can do if you just ask God for help and paint with a purpose; you’ll be amazed with what you come up with.”