A colorful creation in paper and glue earns Ivy Hall student art honors

A student at a Buffalo Grove elementary school has burst onto the world art scene, winning a prestigious weekly competition.

Kameron Oliva, a student at Ivy Hall Elementary School, was recently named Artist of the Week by Artsonia.com, the world’s largest onilne collection of student art portfolios exhibiting more than 100 million pieces of student art.

His winning piece, a colorful torn paper creation titled “Cute Seascape,” received more than 500 online votes.

“I created a seascape with a boat and birds,” Oliva said. “We ripped and glued paper with lots of colors to make a sky and a sea.”

He said he felt “very proud and excited” upon learning of his work’s enthusiastic reception.

Oliva's artwork was created under the guidance of his teacher, Katherine Lindgren, who has been teaching art for more than two decades.

Lindgren is among thousands of educators worldwide who use Artsonia's platform to showcase student work, organize and plan art lessons and raise funds for their classrooms.

“Every day we create, we grow, we make messes, and we connect with the world around us through our art,” Lindgren said. “Artsonia allows my students to do all of those things in an organized way. It also allows them to share their art with the world.”

Artsonia allows family and friends of student artists to view the art online and create custom keepsakes from the student art. Artsonia gives back 20% of all revenue to the local art classroom.

The Artist of the Week program, which Artsonia launched 20 years ago, selects 12 random submissions weekly across four age groups, ranging from pre-K through 12th grade. The public voting process lasts for several days before the winner is chosen.

For his winning entry, Oliva and his school will receive gift certificates from Blick Art Materials — $100 for the school and $50 for the student artist.

“Inspiring students to express themselves creatively brings me so much joy,” Lindgren said.

Jim Meyers, CEO and co-founder of Artsonia, emphasized its mission of bringing communities together to recognize the creativity of children.

“Artist of the Week serves as a way to encourage local schools, families and friends to get involved in the process of creating and celebrating student art,” he said.

Artsonia has curated more than 100 million pieces of student art. As part of its mission, Artsonia donates 20% of merchandise revenue directly back to local classrooms. Since 2000, it has donated more than $15 million.

For information, visit artsonia.com.