The Exhibiting Excellence: 38th Annual High School Art Exhibition will return to be displayed at the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus beginning Feb. 7. For the first time, an Art Educators' Exhibition will coincide with the student exhibit at the River Campus Art Gallery.

The Art Educators' Exhibition will feature pieces from 30 grade school and high school teachers from the southeast Missouri region to showcase their personal talents. Carol Horst, art instructor at Southeast, will be hosting the exhibition.

Justin Miller, associate professor of art at Southeast and the gallery coordinator for the Art Educators' Exhibition, said the work submitted by teachers can help confirm their teaching abilities.

"As an educator myself, it's important for students and the public to remember that these aren't just teachers, they're artists too, they're makers," Miller said. "I think most art educators would tell you that it helps add validity to their practice at any level. The fact that you're creating and making something helps you in your own teaching."

Exhibiting Excellence will feature artwork from high school juniors and seniors from 26 counties throughout southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri, covering mediums such as painting, ceramics and photography.

Peter Nguyen, director of the Crisp Museum, said the student exhibition gives the high school students a "prestigious" opportunity to have their work displayed in a museum.

"It's prestigious in that the students whose works that are displayed are competing with students from all of the other counties," Nguyen said. "Even if they don't win a prize, they should still feel proud that they had their work submitted in a museum exhibition."

Nguyen added that considering each teacher is allowed to submit 15 pieces of artwork (60 of which comes from the Cape Girardeau area), students who have their work accepted into the museum should feel proud their artwork was accepted out of more than 300 pieces.

First, second and third place awards are provided in the varying art categories. The Best of Show award provides the recipient a $1,000 scholarship to attend the university as an art major. The Art Academy Award recipient, who is selected based upon personal dedication to art, receives a scholarship to attend one of the university's Summer Art Academy workshops.

A juror is selected to jury all of the artwork submitted from the participating high schools.

According to Nguyen, the juror examines a variety of variables when considering Best of Show, including craftsmanship, execution and originality.

This year's juror is adjunct professor Shannon Duffy from Murray State University, who also owns and operates Helicopter Studios in Paducah, Kentucky.

Miller said that there will be plenty of diverse types of artwork to look for in both exhibits.

"We'll probably see some people that are more 3D-minded, some people that are more paint-minded," Miller said. "Even within those we'll see variety. I think it'll be a very eclectic show."

Exhibiting Excellence will remain on display in the Crisp Museum through March 13, with museum hours running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Art Educators' Exhibit will be on display through Feb. 25, with Art Gallery hours from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.