37th Annual ‘Touch the Future’ Art Show Honors Bucks and Montgomery High School Students
Top works of art from Bucks and Montgomery County public high school students will be featured during the annual “Touch the Future” art show, in collaboration with Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), beginning on Sunday, Mar. 3.
This is the 37th year for the “Touch the Future” art show, a professionally-juried art exhibit named in tribute to Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space who perished aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 and was known to have said, “I touch the future. I teach.”
Touch the Future is sponsored by the Mideastern Region of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and the Council for the Advancement of Public Schools.
“We are so thankful for our partnership with Montgomery County Community College to put on this show,” said Bill Senavaitis, President of PSEA’s Mideastern Region. “The high quality of our students’ work is truly a testimony to our Bucks and Montgomery County public schools’ dedication to the arts. We appreciate all of our public school educators and our artists’ families for helping students improve their talents and follow their dreams.”
25 local high schools are participating in the show, which features 301 student artworks. The winners of the juried show have been selected by Em Kleaver, Admissions Counselor at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture. The 2024 show will award 26 prizes totaling $4,835.
“I am so honored and humbled to have been chosen to enjoy this year’s amazing selection of work,” said Em Kleaver, the show’s Jurist, in her Juror’s statement. “I was truly overwhelmed by the breadth of work and level of skill I witnessed while jurying this year’s show.”
The art show, which is open to the public, will remain on display at the Blue Bell Art Gallery through Apr. 5. The show is made possible by the hard work of “Touch the Future” Co-Chairs and Local Educators Mike Werner and Joanne Carrick from North Penn High School, and Terry O’Neill from Neshaminy High School. Montgomery County Community College Galleries Director Patrick Rodgers provides key support in ensuring the success of the exhibit.
“These students have created some outstanding pieces this year and pursued some really adventurous themes,” said Rodgers. “For those who haven’t seen this exhibit, it’s a jaw-dropping display of artwork that really reflects the creativity of area students and their teachers. We’re grateful to PSEA and teachers for all the support they give to this experience, which anyone can visit and enjoy. Congratulations to all the students involved in the show.”
This year, 25 students were awarded prizes totaling $4,685, which the PSEA Mideastern Region, CAPS Program, and PSEA Montco-Retired sponsored.
PSEA-MER teachers choose the Rosemary Hamilton Memorial Teachers Choice Award and will be awarded at the Art Show’s closing reception. In addition, artworks chosen for the PSEA Mideastern Region purchase prize will receive a place of honor in the art gallery in PSEA-MER’s office in Montgomeryville.
A listing of the winning artists is below.
| AWARD | STUDENT NAME | SCHOOL | TITLE & CATEGORY | TEACHER |
| 1st Place Best of Show | Anagha Kannurpatti | Council Rock High School North | “Infusion” Black and White Drawing | Jim Biglan |
| 2nd Place Best of Show | Tommy Mackey | Souderton Area High School | “Will He Be Proud” 2D Mixed Media | Sabrina Pistoria |
| 3rd Place Best of Show | Sadie Van Tassel | Hatboro-Horsham High School | “Divisive Dinner” Color Drawing | Leah Eilert |
| CATEGORY AWARDS | STUDENT NAME | SCHOOL | TITLE | TEACHER |
| Drawing Black & White | Shannon Trusdale | Upper Moreland High School | “Self Portrait” | Alex Pinguli |
| Drawing Black & White HONORABLE MENTION | Simone Graves | Truman High School | “Locked Doors” | A. Freeman |
| Color Drawing | Julia Callahan | Bensalem High School | “Road Kill Graffiti” | Carly Najera |
| Painting | Maiah Mei | Pennridge High School | “Bubble Wrap” | Sarah Moos |
| Painting HONORABLE MENTION | Erin Thomas | Spring-Ford High School | “The Artist’s View” | Brent Kissel |
| 2-D Mixed Media | Kerry Chen | Council Rock High School South | “Get In Line” | Michael Catalano |
| 2-D Design and Printmaking | Olivia Phelan | Neshaminy High School | “Western Fantasy” | Mrs. Terry O’Neill |
| Digital Imaging/Computer Graphics | Yvan Phan | Pennridge High School | “Clay Pot Rue” | Sarah Moos |
| Photography | Carina Laventure | North Penn High School | “1 Year Older, 10 Years Gone” | J. Carrick |
| Photography HONORABLE MENTION | Milo Trubetskaya | William Tennent High School | “Untitled” | Kristen King |
| 3-D Mixed Media Sculpture | Nanditha Paila | Spring-Ford High School | “The Human Fabric” | Chad Strickler |
| 3-D Single Medium Sculpture | Katherine Weimer | Spring-Ford High School | “Life, Death, and Decay” | Karen Gallagher |
| 3-D Single Medium HONORABLE MENTION | Dallas Nyce | Souderton Area High School | “Escape” | John McLaughlin |
| 3-D Functional | Melanie Evitts | Upper Merion High School | “Low Tide” | Megan Barner |
| 3-D Functional HONORABLE MENTION | Riley Fanelli | Pennsbury High School | “Wildflowers” | Jon Twersky |
| Computer Animation | Lydia Herb | North Penn High School | “Animated Short” | Mr. Mike Werner |
| Selma Burke Sculpture Award (any 3D work) | Clare Morgan | Council Rock High School South | “Tea Party” | Elizabeth Thomas |
| Susan Castle Memorial (jewelry/metals artwork) | Christina Vala | Neshaminy High School | “Koi” | Justin Bursk |
| PSEA Purchase Prize | Annabelle Schu | Council Rock High School South | “At The Pier On Thirteenth” Painting | Michael Catalano |
| PSEA Purchase Prize | Jesse Rivero | Harry S. Truman High School | “Electric Roller Coaster” Silver Print Photography | Mark Morgan |
| PSEA Purchase Prize | Maggie Jacobs | Central Bucks High School West | “Turtle”3-D Single Medium Sculpture | Alison Thompson |
| ROSEMARY HAMILTON MEMORIAL – selected by teachers at closing reception | TBD |
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