The Granite School District’s Art Olympics took place on March 13. This competition consists of a public viewing of artists at work. High school art students from many different schools are given four hours to complete their works of art.

This year the Art Olympics were held at Granger High School. Students and teachers all began preparing for the next rigorous hours as early as one in the afternoon. The official competition ranged from 3:00-7:00 p.m. All contestants were to display two of their best pieces to be analyzed by the judges. Both the new artwork and the pieces on display were judged immediately after the competition, and the winners were announced around 7:30 P.M. that same night.

I looked forward to the competition for weeks, and it needed so much practice and preparation. It was my first year competing in the Art Olympics and it was nothing like I expected. At one in the afternoon, a friend and I were excused from our classes to prepare the display art pieces.

As soon as I walked into the art hall, I was surprised by the number of students who were ready to participate. Everyone was rushing to get their materials ready. While seeing students rush by, carrying their pieces, the quality of all the artwork truly stunned me. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. There were plenty of beautiful and skillful pieces all in one place, and to think that they were all created by high school students! The talent of these young artists truly spoke volumes about their skills.

After a rushed hour of preparations, we were told that there was food available for all contestants. The food consisted of Café Rio burritos. There were four options, and these were: beef, pork, chicken or vegan. We were then called down into Granger’s choir room to see an introductory presentation by the judges. In this presentation, we saw the amazing artwork and accomplishments of the judges, themselves. Many inspirational words were spoken as well as words of advice that could later help those looking forward to a career in art.

Following the presentation, we were to find our stations, set up our materials, and get ready to work. I personally fell behind in this step because the nerves got to me, and I was really struggling to get my materials set up. The competition officially started, and I was panicking. After about five minutes, I was set up and ready to go, but I was terrified that those five minutes I had spent setting up were wasted. I then started sketching out my idea on the canvas.

During the whole competition, I went through many obstacles that I did not expect when prepping weeks before. As I looked around the whole room, I saw many masterpieces. It was astonishing to see how much of these amazing artists had completed even with such limited time. It was not just one or two gorgeous pieces, but all the art in the room. All the participants were doing an astounding job.

While I was working, I couldn’t help but notice a student working at the table next to me. That student was having so much fun, as if there was no pressure to complete their piece. Throughout the day, they continued to work without showing any worry. They created an amazing mixed media piece in only four hours. That person truly inspired a change in my mentality. It was the last hour of the competition, and I had let all the worries go. I no longer needed to finish my piece, and I could just relax and have fun. My new goal was not to perfect the painting, but to do what I could do without pressure.

When the time was up, I stood up and looked around the whole room. Absolutely all the artworks were immaculate. They each had their own touch to them, and we could see the artist’s personality. I was very honored to be in a room accompanying all these great artists. The room was full of color and masterpieces unlike everything I had ever seen before.

Overall, the Art Olympics provided a great opportunity for all art students, and this unreal event is an experience that I know all contestants, models, and viewers will forever cherish.