Valeria Gil, Morristown High senior, takes gold medal at Teen Arts Fest

By Sharon Sheridan

Chalk drawings of pirates and Minions and an imagined crime scene splashed along a walkway.

Brass players strolled across the lawn, playing competing compositions, while string players tuned up indoors.

Young artists sketched with pastels at outdoor easels. Under a tent, listeners sipped coffee and cheered for singers and musicians at an open mic.

These were some of the scenes from the 2016 Teen Arts Festival at the County College of Morris in Randolph last week.

Students from 15 schools across Morris County participated, as well as the middle- and high school Lakeland Youth Symphonies and West Side Dance.

The day included performances, critiques, and workshops in everything from origami to interior design, and photography to Claymation character sculpture.

Among the exhibitors was Morristown High School senior Valeria Gil, who won a Best of Show gold medal in visual arts with a self-portrait.

To create the work, she sketched an outline using a projector, to get the proportions right, then added the details (her favorite part).

Next year, she’ll be back at CCM as a college student, where she’s considering majoring in biology but hopes to take some art electives as well.

Here are some photos of the annual event.