The Cactus Shadows High School Fine Arts Center was packed wall-to-wall recently as families, teachers, classmates, and community supporters showed up for Arizona’s next generation of artists. Ninety students in third through 12th grade were honored for their work in visual arts during the Sonoran Arts League’s 30th Annual Celebration of Art and the 46th Jeff Cross Memorial, an event that turned the spotlight exactly where it belonged: on young artists with serious talent, big imagination, and the kind of creative spark you can’t fake.
Sponsored by the Sonoran Arts League, Cave Creek Unified School District’s Educational Community Service, Steve and Lori Greenberg, and the Kiwanis Club of Carefree, the event featured students from seven CCUSD elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as Annunciation Catholic School.
Throughout the ceremony, students were recognized on stage by their teachers and celebrated for the creativity, discipline, and perspective they bring to their work. Each student also received a gift bag of art supplies from the Sonoran Arts League, giving them fresh tools to keep creating through the summer.
The evening’s biggest moment came with the presentation of the 46th Annual Jeff Cross Bronze Bell Award, one of the event’s most meaningful honors. Cross was a bronze artist and founding member of the Cave Creek Craft Council, which later became the Sonoran Arts League.
This year’s award went to Cactus Shadows High School senior Eleanor “Elly” Rice, of Cave Creek, for her charcoal drawing, “Forever My First Friend.” Rice was called to the stage and presented with the bell in recognition of a deeply personal piece inspired by her relationship with her sister.
“The piece is part of my AP Art portfolio, which focuses on the relationship between my sister and me. My mom has been a huge help in finding old photos for me to use as references for my class. The photo is from 2009 when I became a big sister,” Rice, 18, says.
Rice says charcoal has become one of her favorite mediums because it feels similar to graphite, the medium she has practiced with most.
“To begin this piece, I first created a grid on the paper. This helps to keep proportions correct. Then, I began sketching it out with a pencil. Afterward, I worked from right to left and started shading with the charcoal. I started on the right side because I’m left-handed, and this way it wouldn’t smudge while I was drawing,” she says.
Behind every young artist is usually a teacher who saw the spark early and kept handing over matches. For Rice, that person is Dara Parsons.
“Mrs. Parsons has been an incredible teacher over the past 10 years. In high school, she encouraged me to try new mediums, like oil pastels, and get out of my comfort zone. This helped me grow so much as an artist. This year, she guided me through earning the Arizona Seal of Arts Proficiency, something I’m very proud of. She has always supported me, and I’ll truly miss having her as my teacher,” Rice says.
Rice also credits the Sonoran Arts League with helping her explore her creativity beyond the classroom.
“When I was younger, I took a few art classes with the Sonoran Arts League. These classes let me try out new mediums. In my senior year, I also participated in the Hidden in the Hills Artist Studio Tour and displayed my art at the Youth Studio during the event,” she says.
Rice says receiving the Jeff Cross Bronze Bell Award came as a complete surprise.
“It was a huge honor to receive the Jeff Cross Bronze Bell Award. I’m so grateful and appreciative of this recognition. This award reflects the hard work and dedication I’ve put into my art over the years, and I’ll always treasure this moment as a milestone in my artistic journey,” she says.
After high school, Rice plans to pursue a degree in architectural engineering, a field that lets her keep one foot in creativity and the other in science and math.
“I want to major in architectural engineering, which combines my love for both art and math,” she says.
To learn more, visit sonoranartsleague.org or call 480-575-6624.
