I had the pleasure of attending the opening reception with an awards ceremony of the Student Art Exhibition at Lake Tahoe Community College’s (LTCC) Haldan Gallery a couple of Saturdays ago. I brought my friend Donna Reid, a beloved local artist who will participate as always in Tahoe Art League’s Studio Tour this summer. Can I just say, we were both blown away by this year’s show! (?) The exceptional talent that is coming out of the Art Department over the last couple of years is undeniable. Thanks to the power trio of three ladies, this show must be experienced.
Kristin Boles, Catherine Lockner Church, and Elizabeth Vargas are consummate professionals who know how to hang a show, not to mention the many others who worked to get this show open. And the Haldan Gallery, being a proper fine art gallery, is a wonderful space to display and honor the artworks that are being created by our Tahoe artists and beyond.
This show required a lot of collaboration and cooperation between so many departments, staff, faculty, students and volunteers. Special kudos to Brianda “Bri” Ortega, Shiloh Flood, Theresa Diemer, and Kevin Vasquez Vazquez, the latter two of whom both have terrific work in the student show. I will highlight some award winners in a bit.
Let me explain how the process works to organize this annual Art Exhibit: Students need to have taken an art class at LTCC in the last school year, in this case, 2025-26. The Art Department puts out a Call to Artists, and each student picks their top three pieces to submit. Here are the categories: Drawing, Water Media, Painting, Film Photography, Digital Photography Black & White, Digital Photography Color, Digital Art, Mixed Media Sculpture, 2-D Mixed Media, Functional Ceramics, and Ceramic Sculpture.
The Art Department then chooses a professional juror, who was the uber-talented artist Scott Forrest. Scott picked the Honorable Mentions and the Award Winners. Pat Leonard-Heffner’s photography class students take photos of the art pieces for the awards ceremony presentation, and Matt Kauffmann’s students from his Professional Practices course helped with the setup.
And now to highlight some of the special award recipients: Andrew Budd’s very cool wire sculpture of a man in active pose took Best In Show. “Black Knight” is one of the only figurative sculptures in the Show. Students are loving Mel Smothers’ sculpture class!
The President’s Award for 3-D Art, given by Jeff DeFranco, went to Heidi Klinck for her adorable, tiny ceramic dog. Her attention to detail on the pup’s paws, along with its splooch position, is both realistic and whimsical.
Photographer Adam Miller received the President’s Award for 2-D Art. His stunning print on metal titled “Moonlit Eagle Falls Under the Aurora” is hung on the entry wall of the show. I had the pleasure of meeting Adam and his lovely wife, Vanessa, last winter when they came into the Tahoe Art League Gallery. I was delighted to reconnect with them at the awards ceremony, with Adam raving about his experience with the classes he’s taking at LTCC. He told me he is just blown away by the professional instruction that is at this college.
Some final reviews and critiques regarding this Show from myself, Catherine, and Scott, we all echoed each other– this Student Show feels so much more elevated than in years past. We love the way the layout came together, great spacing, and a super special front wall. Everyone who participated should be so proud!
The LTCC Student Art Exhibition will be on display through June 18.
Haldan Gallery hours: Monday through Thursday 11 am-5:30 pm; closed Fridays & Saturdays; open Sundays 1:00 pm-4:30 pm
-Michelle Gomez, Tahoe Art League
Photos from Sheilah Boothby:
Photos of Award Winners:
Photos from Kevin Vasquez;
