Expo celebrates art by students at local center

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A busy gallery of artists and family at the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Burbank High School instructor Jonelle Pickett, right, of Burbank makes a photo of Narek Tashchyan, a 12th grader at Burbank High School in front of his artwork titled ‘Face of the Joker’ in the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Elvira Salas, of Burbank, makes a photo of the artwork by her Burbank High School daughter Camila, 16, as her sister waits Julieta Salas, 15, waits at the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Reace Rushing, a 12th grader at Burbank High School, does a little repair on a damaged part of her sculpture in the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. Rushing said that back at school, when her art was on a counter, a box fell on it and badly damaged it. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Mary Manocchia, of Burbank, who’s grandson has artwork at the gallery, looks at some of the artwork on display in the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Artwork by Elena Kazarian, a 2nd grader from Emerson Elementary, in the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Rina Shazit, of Burbank, who is there for her daughter and her artwork, and Mary Manocchia, of Burbank, who’s grandson has artwork at the gallery, both take a look at some of the glassware and pottery pushed out of the way for the all of the artwork on display in the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Artwork by Mary Fadley, a 9th grader at Providence, in the Shell-A-Brate the Arts! youth art expo 2018 at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank on Thursday, April 5, 2018. The grade range for the artists who submitted 1,370 entries was from transitional kindergarten to high school seniors for all schools in Burbank. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

By Mark Kellam

April 10, 2018 4:15 PM PT

Out of more than 1,300 submissions from local public and private schools, a little more than 200 entries were selected to be part of the Youth Art Expo on display now at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center in Burbank.

Virginia Causton-Keene, the center’s director, said the art exhibit has been a dream of hers.

“When I first started here last May, this is what I wanted to promote, was for kids to come in and see the gallery art so that they would be inspired to paint or create art,” she said.

“So, this is a venue now, this occasion for them to actually show their own work, which I think is fabulous,” she added.

She said the artwork by the young people is awe inspiring.

“It makes me feel like to I want to go home and paint because it’s so good,” Causton-Keene said. “And I was shocked, including the kindergartners and first-graders.”

The Best in Show honor went to Angela Garcia, a senior at John Burroughs High School.

Her untitled painting depicts a colorful image of herself wearing a set of headphones.

However, instead of her regular skin, she depicts her face in various vibrant colors.

“I decided on a bright-color theme,” she said.

Garcia takes an Advanced Placement art class at Burroughs High as well as classes at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena.

The winner of the competition for students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade was Kaylee Mason, a first-grader at Providencia Elementary.

Causton-Keene said she’s proud of what the expo is about.

“It’s amazing to think that art is carrying on in public schools as well as private schools, and I know budgets are cut in a lot of places, but this really shows that it’s thriving,” she said. “We’ve got a great future of artists... Even though, they may become accountants, they have this passion.”

Other award winners whose works are part of the Youth Art Expo are:

Michael Nersisyan, Jayden Hylton, Sara Boghoussian, Ryan Essavi, Celine Najarian, Michael Levonyan, Neala Smith, Charlotte Huss, Giada Villafuerte, Michelle Ceron, Kiele Torrance, Riksy Brenes, Anolani Kanamu, Ruby Egloff, Madison Nagashiki, Camila Salas and Catalina Sutter.

For more information about the exhibit, visit https://bit.ly/2HVoJ3Q.

mark.kellam@latimes.com

Twitter: @LAMarkKellam