Plains student's art wins national award

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary recognized an art student from Plains for her work in the 3 Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest.

The 16-year-old Ireland Corbin took third place in the VFW Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest in the 3-Dimensional category with her clay and ceramic art entitled "In Honor," earning her a $1,000 scholarship award. Corbin said she was excited when she received the news that she placed so high in the contest, which was sponsored by VFW Horse Plains Auxiliary 3596. Corbin and Victoria Swanson, now a junior at Plains High School, both won on the local and state levels, winning them $50 each, before going on to the national competition. Swanson competed in the 2 Dimensional Art with her artwork titled "What We Swore To Protect." Both took first place in the state contest and each won $75.

"I didn't think mine was very good compared to the ones my classmate made," said Corbin, now a sophomore at Plains High School. "I saw all the other art pieces and I thought mine wouldn't even place. I really like the idea of it, but I just think I could have done better on it. There are a lot of tiny things that I wish I could fix," she said.

The six judges at Horse Plains Auxiliary 3586 were unanimous in selecting Corbin and Swanson as the local winners, said auxiliary member Deb Regan, who was on the committee, along with Carol Harris, to promote the annual art program. Each student also had to include a typed explanation of their work. Regan said the competition was really stiff at the national level with 31 entries in Corbin's category. First place went to 11th-grader Grace J. Smith of Spokane with her clay piece called "The Enduring Heart." She won a $2,500 scholarship.

"I picked two hands holding a folded flag because I have a long line of veterans in my family," wrote Corbin, whose father, Richard, served in the Army and was given a flag upon his retirement. She has two siblings that also served in the military. "I wanted to represent the people who are given the flag in remembrance of their fallen loved ones or a loved one who had retired," she wrote. Corbin said she enjoys art and it helps express her emotions.

Corbin did the piece last April. She said she first did a rough sketch and it took her about a week to do the ceramic work in the school's 3-D class given by art teacher Kristen Cole. "It just popped up in my brain and I thought it was a good idea and my dad is a veteran," said Corbin, who had done a little clay artwork in junior high school, but this was the first time she had entered any contests. She competed in SkillsUSA earlier in the year with a small wooden card box with king, queen and jack cards on top and a rose on each side.

"Ireland is a student that can think outside the box," said Cole, an art teacher for more than 25 years. Cole worked with Corbin on the patriotic project last spring when Corbin was a freshman. "We had to make some time out of class to finish her work in order to carry out her vision, making molds of her own hands," said Cole. "The colors were accurate and the overall piece was life-like," said Regan. "Ireland's artwork brought out emotion when looking at it. To be able to create artwork that speaks to the viewer is a special talent." Students Ava Lawyer and Aubrey Larsen also submitted 3-D pieces to the local auxiliary.

The Plains auxiliary post offers the scholarship contest for students from freshmen to seniors in public, private, parochial, or home school programs each year in an effort to assist students who want to further their education for college, said Regan, who added that the scholarship also recognizes young artists and encourages patriotism in youth. She said that the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest began in 1979, but that the three-dimensional art category was established in 2022. Regan noted that a special recognition should go to Cole, who each year encourages her students to enter the contests.