District 212 Art Student's Ceramic Vase on Display at National Conference

A ceramic vase designed and created by West Leyden senior Lisett Vidales has been selected as a winner in a competition sponsored by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).

This January Vidales' advanced ceramic arts teacher, Caroline Felix, entered the works of 10 ceramic arts students in the K-12 competition. A total of 1,344 ceramic pieces were entered into the competition. Of that number only 154 pieces were selected for display at the 50th annual Conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts exhibit to be held in mid-March in Kansas City.

Vidales' detailed ceramic piece titled "Animal Print Vase", was the only ceramic piece selected from the Leyden entries. She learned her work had been chosen in early February.

"The vase was Lisett's redo assignment," Felix explains. "Students in advanced ceramics remake a piece they have made before. The idea is to demonstrate growth as a ceramics artist."

Thousands of ceramic artists and educators from around the world will attend the March conference and view Vidales' vase. As a show exhibitor, she is eligible to apply for a NCECA scholarship.

"This is a huge honor and very exciting news for Lisett," says Felix. "She is a hard-working and diligent artist. Her talent has grown exponentially in her time at Leyden. It is wonderful to see her skills recognized in this national competition."