Power of community shines at Elkhart County Boys & Girls Clubs art show

GOSHEN, Ind. — The Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County held its annual art exhibition Friday evening at the Goshen Theater. Kids from the Middlebury, Nappanee, Goshen, and Elkhart clubs filled the walls with art, all fitting the theme of the contest, ‘The Power of Us’.

The event is part of the 2025/26 Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Art Contest. Kids ages 6 to 18 were able to enter art in various mediums, winning awards for different subjects and age categories, with some of the pieces set to advance to the state and national level competitions.

“Part of our goal at Girls and Boys club is to create citizens of the world for the future. We want people to be caring, kind, and to be examples of what we want the world to look like in our future, and that’s a big part of why we do art, that’s a big part of why we well round all of these kids and we give them the ability to dream outside where they would normally be stuck,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County director of marketing and public relations, West Todd.

The masterpieces will hang at Goshen Theater through the month of February, giving the community a chance to check out ‘The Power of Us’ for themselves.

LIST OF AWARDS:

Best in Show:

Natalie Wasson for her Mixed Media piece

Visual Arts:

6-9 Age Group

Third Place: Konstantine Mishler

Second Place: Eve Reed, Willow Reed, Okalyn Bailey, and Rynlee Bailey for their collaborative piece

First Place: Hudson Woodruff

10-12 Age Group

Honorable Mention: Julian Alvarado

Third Place: Hayleigh Felgenhauer

Second Place: Alison Reyes

First Place: Khloe Christner

13-15 Age Group

First Place: Payton Hemminger

16-18 Age Group

Second Place: Lorelai Bourn

First Place: Sam Newcomer

Sculpture & Mixed Media:

6-9 Age Group

Honorable Mention: Addison Alderman and Brielle Beran

Third Place: Alaina Hauck and Tinley Packer

Second Place: Charlotte Bujalski

First Place: Lucy Sommers

10-12 Age Group

Honorable Mention: Victoria Rodriguez, Alexa Trujillo, and Lyra Wilson

Third Place: Makaya Yoder

Second Place: Adalyn Beran

First Place: Kalynn Williams and Aiden Wilson

Literary Arts:

6-9 Age Group

First Place: Tinley Packer

10-12 Age Group

Second Place: Christal Morris

First Place: Christopher Dupree

13-15 Age Group

First Place: AJ Gambrel

Performing Arts:

10-12 Age Group

Honorable Mention: Yaziri Romo for their song, "A Hundred Kisses"

Third Place: Adeline Morgan and Clara Bennett for their song, "My Light"

Second Place: Yaxziri Romo and Sophie De Paula for their song, "How We Survive"

First Place: Genevieve Elliott for her song, "Shine"

16-18 Age Group

First Place: Maddie Becker for her song, "Just Be"

Applied Arts:

6-9 Age Group

First Place: Amy Klein

10-12 Age Group

Third Place: Melanie Correa

Second Place: Alexa Trujillo

First Place: Victoria Rodriguez

Digital Arts:

6-9 Age Group

First Place: Greta Cunningham

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County, Click here.