DRAPER — A Juan Diego Catholic High School senior has made history with her innovative ceramic creations.
Denver Whaley, of Lehi, won “award with distinction” at the YoungArts competition in the visual arts category — only the second Utah student to do so in the 40 years the competition has existed. Even more impressive, the 17-year-old has only been doing ceramic art for a little more than a year.
Denver first started last year when she took a ceramics class to fulfill an art credit. Due to her competitive nature, Denver kept pushing herself to be as good as an AP Ceramics student who had to take the class at the same time as her because of scheduling conflicts.
“I’m going to do this just for fun, and I’m going to be better than the best girl in my class. So I started competing with her and practiced every day,” Denver said. “I was there like every night, working on my own stuff and helping her when she needed it to improve my skill and learn from her. I had so much fun with it, and I just loved it.”
This year she is taking AP Ceramics and decided to enter into the competition she saw her classmate participate in. Entries for the visual arts category allowed up to 10 photos of creations, and Denver ended up entering a diverse group of artworks, from lidded jars to teapots to bottles to a more than 4-foot-tall pot.
“My portfolio is pretty diverse because there are a lot of different styles in it. About half of my portfolio was based off of air pollution in the Salt Lake Valley … then the rest are just broadening my skill level by trying new things,” she said.
Denver was in the ceramic classroom when she got the call that she won, leading to cheers from the whole room celebrating her success.
“It was so crazy. I was like, ‘No way!’ I was so excited,” she said. “I was so shocked, I didn’t know how to react to it.”
Denver’s ceramics teacher Brandon Berrett said he could see in Denver that she had what it took to become great, and he is “so stoked” for her.
“You never know who is gonna take to it. Denver, you could just see it in her eyeballs; she was like, ‘I am determined. I am going to get it done.’ She had that competitive spirit too, and so that with the kindness she reflected every day, I was like, ‘OK, yeah, we can develop this person,'” he said.
Berrett said people often underestimate the amount of work ceramics take, and he is proud of his student for excelling in the craft.
“It’s like watching your own kid and watching them fail a ton of times, and it’s so hard, but knowing that’s what will lead them to success. Denver was always willing to push past that failure and see it as success. It’s been really cool to work with her and see that resilience,” he said.
It’s important for schools to value the visual arts, Berrett said, and organizations like YoungArts help keep those opportunities for students alive.
“Visual arts helps kids become better people. It enhances their ability to deal with emotions, to process hard situations, to problem solve, to grow resilience, to build healthy communities. I think it’s really cool that Denver is a voice for that,” Berrett said.
Denver agrees, saying that ceramics has helped her connect with herself and with the earth.
“Working with clay is very grounding, and I’ve noticed throughout the time that I’ve been working with clay, that it helps me become a better person. I feel like the clay teaches me things,” she said.
As a winner, Denver has the opportunity to travel to Miami this Saturday for a weeklong experience of mentorship with industry professionals through YoungArts. She is excited to meet other artists and learn from people in different disciplines.
YoungArts winners qualify for consideration for the U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, which only two Utahns have ever received before, Berrett said.
“To be amongst those that are considered is pretty cool,” Berrett said.
Two Southern Utah teens also won with distinction at YoungArts, but in the voice and songwriting categories.
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