Buffalo Student Wins Best of Show at 55th Nescatunga Arts Festival in Alva

Kaisyn Girk, a student from Buffalo, was named the Best of Show winner at the 55^th Nescatunga Arts Festival in Alva with his metal sculpture talents.

ALVA, Okla. – The metal artwork of Buffalo student Kaisyn Girk with Kais’ Arc Art was named the Best of Show during the 55^th Nescatunga Arts Festival held at the Alva Recreation Complex’s Pete and Ruth Leslie Fieldhouse in Alva June 5-6.

Girk, who elected to enter the event as a paid vendor to compete for prizes against other non-students, earned first-place honors in the sculpture/pottery category, qualifying him for the Best of Show possibility. He also earned second place in the designer arts/jewelry category.

In the student section of the festival, Chloe Walker of Drummond took the top prize with her “decoden” creations.

In the student section, the winner was Chloe-Ella Walker from Drummond. She was entered in the mixed media category with an art form called decoden, a popular, Kawaii-inspired Japanese craft that involves decorating the surfaces of mirrors, hair brushes and more with special, whipped, icing-like glue and miniature charms.

Those attending the festival this year were able to cast votes for their favorite quilt from among the several quilts displayed in the quilt show and their favorite vendor booth from among the 40-plus fine art, craft and author booths.

For the second year in a row, the quilt created by Nelletta Johnson was voted the People’s Choice Quilt winner. This year she won with “Crimson Poppy Queen with Sunbeam Extensions.”

The People’s Choice Award in the Quilt show went to Nelletta Johnson with a quilt titled “Crimson Poppy Queen with Sunbeam Extensions” by Judy Niemeyer. Margaret Stangl quilted it. This is the second People’s Choice win by Johnson.

The People’s Choice vendor booth went to Brenda Sheik with Brenda Sheik Stained Class LLC of Okeene with her stained-glass entries in the Designer Arts and Jewelry category. She also placed first in the category.

A list of fine artists who earned ribbons and cash prizes at the 55th festival follows:

Stained glass artist Brenda Sheik of Okeene was voted the People’s Choice winner from among the 40-plus fine artists, crafters and authors at the event.

Designer Arts and Jewelry (created in glass, wood, mineral, etc.) – first, Brenda Sheik; second, Kaisyn Girk; third, John Doffer of Enid with wood crafts including turned pens and wood decorations.

Digital Art (computer-generated artwork) – first, Valarie Case of Alva with manipulated photographs and digital painting.

Fiber Arts (quilting, weaving, basketry, knitting, crocheting) – first, Mary Riegel of Alva with quilts and crocheted items; and second, Lezlie Gilbert of Enid with quilts.

Graphics (pencil, pen & ink, pastels, printmaking, etc.) – first, Kelly Long with Kelly Long Reflections of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, with detailed graphic pencil pieces; second, Warren Little of Alva with various pencil drawings, and third, Angelia Case of Alva with colored pencil drawings.

Mixed Media – first, James Kyzer with Kyzer Pop Art of Purcell with soda pop-related subject matter using colored pencil and collage type artwork; second, Charles Castillo of Chickasha with exotic wood cutting boards, charcuterie boards, turned bowls/pens and more; and third, Leah Kenton-McGaha with The Knotty Kibben from Norman with laser-engraved wood panels featuring cats that were given human forms along with “terrible puns,” hand-painted with enamel and acrylic paints.

Painting (oils, acrylics, watercolors) – first, Angelia Case; second, Warren Little; and third, Linda Myers with Linda Sue Beads of Fairfax with various acrylic paintings.

Photography – first, Valarie Case of Alva with various images from northwest Oklahoma and vacation travels; second, Angelia Case with images from northwest Oklahoma; and third, Warren Little. 

Pottery/Sculpture (may be ceramic, wood, metal, mineral, etc.) – first, Kaisyn Girk; second, Kellie Walker with Nana K’s Place from Drummond with hand-crafted resin items; and third, Eric Steffen of Alva with wooden string art ships and other wooden models.

Fine artists are eligible for one award of cash and ribbons in each category. Cash awards in the following amounts were awarded at the close of the event: Best of Show, $200; first place, $150; second place, $100; and third place, $75, and the student section prize, $25.

Six people who participated in the new Arts Festival Bingo went home with items donated by the festival vendors.

To learn more about the festival and other ways to become involved with the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, visit www.nescatunga.org. Yearly membership to the organization and festival sponsorships are welcome.

The Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council wishes to thank the Alva Chamber of Commerce, Wisdom Heritage Bank, the volunteers who contributed their baking talents to the Gourmet Food Booth bake sale, those who came to help with setup and takedown of the festival, the entertainers who came to sing and dance during the two-day event, the 40-plus vendors who shared their talents with the community, and the community members who came out to support the 55^th festival. The Council also appreciates Nam and Pops for bringing out a train for the kids to ride on Saturday when the weather didn’t cooperate to have the inflatables.

The Nescatunga Arts Festival is sponsored by the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, Inc., in cooperation with the Alva Chamber of Commerce, the City of Alva Tourism Tax Committee, the City of Alva and the Alva Recreation Complex.

This project was also funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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