From OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
As one of the few shows of its kind in the area, the Owens Community College Passages juried high school art show has filled a spot in the growth and exposure of talented young artists.
Now in its fifth year, Passages continues to grow, with a record 406 submissions and 165 accepted pieces from 17 local high schools for this show.
An opening reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 6, from 6 – 8 p.m., at the Walter E. Terhune Art Gallery in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) at Owens. There will be Owens Merit Awards for the top three pieces along with honorable mentions, Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards in four separate categories announced at 6:30 p.m.
In 2021, Shelby Stoots, gallery manager, was tasked with investigating whether a juried high school art show would be a viable option. Once she found that there weren’t many of those shows in the area, she knew it was an idea worth pursuing.
“The main goal was to include in our gallery season line up an art exhibition that involved younger members of the community and would showcase what Owens has to offer,” Stoots said. “The high school art teachers have told me it is an easy art show to apply for because of the format, and it is free. The teachers also mention that their students enjoy the process and are always excited to have their artwork on display in a professional space.”
“Receiving more than 400 art piece submissions this year, I would count as a success as well. There have been a few students that I know of that participated in the art show and currently attend Owens now,” said Stoots.
The show is open to students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades and nominated by their high school art teacher. Each student can submit up to two individual pieces in the categories of Fine Art, Photography, Commercial Art, and Animation/Character Design.
In the first year, there were 62 art pieces in the show. That number went to 52 pieces in 2023, rose to 157 in 2024, and 240 submitted pieces last year, in 2025.
Throughout Ohio and Michigan, 28 high schools have participated in Passages, including this year’s participants Bedford, Eastwood, Fostoria, Fremont Ross, Hopewell-Loudon, Lake, Miller City, North Central, Northwood, Notre Dame Academy, Perrysburg, St. Ursula Academy, St. John’s Jesuit, Summerfield, Sylvania Southview, Toledo Christian, and Whitmer.
Fremont Ross has participated each year, with Perrysburg, St. Ursula, Tiffin Columbian, and Whitmer participating four times, and Bedford, Eastwood, Liberty Center, St. John’s, and Toledo Christian three times each.
“It gives students the opportunity to display their artwork outside of their school and in a professional space,” Stoots said. “High schools do not typically have a dedicated gallery or display space for artwork. It is usually in a hallway, classroom, or a small glass display case.”
Visual Arts faculty at Owens in the Creative Arts and Media Department judge the artwork for the show. The Owens Merit Awards can also be used toward tuition at the college.
The show also gives high school students an opportunity to learn from and personally interact with faculty members at Owens during tours of the academic studios and installation, which are some of Stoots’ favorite memories.
“The Passages application process mimics a juried art exhibit application for a professional gallery, so that gives students real world experience,” said Stoots. “The full-time and adjunct faculty attend the reception and have the opportunity to interact with the students and receive feedback from professional artists.”
In the future, Stoots would like to include a People’s Choice award to involve more of the community and encourage visitors to participate. She’d also like to find additional space to display more artwork.
“The more opportunities to have high school students display their artwork at Owens the better,” Stoots said.
Passages is currently on display and runs through March 20. Find more information at owens.edu/cam/passages.
