Under the direction of Christian Vandehaar, Bondurant-Farrar High School art instructor, and with the support of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, these four students were selected to create this year’s National Philanthropy Day awards. Each piece is inspired and embodies the philanthropic spirit of the recipient. This marks the first year Mr. Vandehaar’s students have created the artwork to celebrate philanthropy in the community, taking the place of the recently retired Sam Chiodo. We thank Mr. Chiodo for the 19 years of artwork he helped create and look forward to continuing this tradition with Mr. Vandehaar and his students. Thank you for providing such beautiful and unique pieces for this year’s celebration.

Student Awards

Colton Vance
Athene

I created this abstract expression for Athene. Athene is a retirement company that helps people transition into their next phase of life.I used abstract elements through the flow of line to express how this company is responsible for giving financial freedom to people who are looking to retire. The composition is internally ambiguous so that the viewer finds their own path, much like how Athene equips its customers. The colors have symbolic potential; the blue makes connections to the business and customer experiences. The blue creates a strong sense of movement to express newfound life. Pink is used as the foundation of this piece to provide stability. Without the help and assistance of Athene, the blue/new found life could not thrive. The blue at the bottom of the piece is used as anticipation for the end of retirement. The strong sense of visual movement can be connected to the financial freedom they can experience. This piece is only a representation of the feelings and experiences of people after retirement. To summarize you could say that this work is intended to be received by both the company and the customer and represent the relationship between the two parties as well as the beautiful product they build together.

Emily Hockett
NCMIC 

I created this piece to represent NCMIC's support and the good that Big Brothers, Big Sisters are doing for the youth of Iowa. They play such a big role in many people's lives and I wanted to portray that with the imagery of growing flowers and roots. The watering can has their logo on it which represents how they are the reason that many kids find support and grow. The bright colors of the flowers also represent the kids being helped by this organization. These kids are gaining these mentoring relationships and it gives them vital guidance which benefits them throughout their lives. It provides them with a bit of color in their lives.

Kisandra Engle
Joyce and Terry Lillis

I chose to do a portrait of Joyce and Terry Lillis because I wanted to showcase them as the reciprocates of the Individual Philanthropist Award. I wanted them to be the main focus of this piece and keep It simple to represent their importance to the community through their volunteering and their work in health care and participating in committees to make college more affordable. They are outstanding individuals who I was happy to create an art piece for.

Shelby Kulish
Gerry Neugent

Helping others takes more than just a single action, it takes someone with a great passion, spirit, leadership, authenticity, and positive outlook. It takes a system of support, built on the foundation of compassion. The piece I have created describes the way Gerry Neugent gives others a ‘hand up.’ He provides above and beyond for his community, promises to be a loyal leader, and encourages many non-profit organizations. It takes a dedicated leader to give so much to people and groups who need it most. This piece expresses an emotion that represents the passion behind his donations, projects, and supportiveness. He is pouring the water back into his society in the form of proceeds to organizations, devotion to the public, and fundraising for his civilization. He not only professionally gives back, but helps the people he loves and shares his community with. He is true to the people who need it most. In return, he has the trust of the public while chairing many campaigns and partnerships. It is communicating how it takes a special person to build the trust, bond, and influence of a social support system. He is extremely successful in giving, participating, and contributing a great deal of effort. He is making a huge impact on many people and his legacy is within the community.

Megan Dare
Hailey and Riley Gojkovich

I have created this giant cupcake as a tribute to all of the bake sales that Haily and her younger sister Riley put together, and the colorful inspiration that comes with every delicious treat. The color palate is pulled from Hailey and Riley’s favorite colors to use to decorate their cupcakes. The colors of the sprinkles represent the organizations that the money was donated to, MercyOne Children's Hospital and Blank Children’s Hospital, using the logo colors as inspiration.

Kaci Vanlaningham
Sam Chiodo

An apple is seen as a symbol of a good teacher. In movies, pictures, and books, they are used to show that a teacher is well liked. For this piece I chose an apple tree, to symbolize Mr. Chiodo’s amazing work as an art educator. Every nomination for Mr. Chiodo stressed his dedication and skill. He pushed his students to be the best they could be, just like trees use their roots, leaves, and everything else they have to grow an apple. His guidance has created a group of artists that have grown into their ability and identity as artists. His students have created the awards for this event for 19 years, making almost 100 works of art. This piece represents all of the hard work and dedication that Mr. Chiodo has had when teaching a new generation of artists. His work is a picture of all that an art teacher can be.