Over the next month, visitors to the Carbondale Clay Center’s gallery will have the privilege of being some of the first to see the works of a diverse group of emerging artists — students from Roaring Fork and Basalt high schools.

This year marks the center’s second high school invitational. In 2022, Basalt High School art teacher Denae Statzer approached the Carbondale Clay Center with the idea, and in 2023, the center hosted its inaugural invitational, establishing a biennial tradition that will nurture the artistic growth of local students for years to come. 

“I always say that I would have never gone to art school, I would have never become an artist or teacher if I didn’t have the opportunity that my high school teacher provided for me to show my work when I was in high school,” Statzer said. “For me, it’s one of those full circle moments where I’m able to provide something for them that really changed my path and my course in life.”

Perspectives: 2025 High School Invitational will be on display 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday from March 7 to April 12 at Carbondale Clay Center, 135 Main St., Carbondale. Two students from each school will engage in discussions about their work during an exhibit reception from 6-8 p.m. on March 14 and on April 4 for First Friday. 

The students spent months diligently preparing for the invitational, refining their art with guidance from Statzer, Roaring Fork High School art teacher Kim Carpenter and feedback from Matthew Eames, the center’s operations manager, before submitting their work for consideration. 

Eames views the invitational as more than just an exhibition opportunity — it’s a chance to mentor and shape the next generation of artists.

“When you get into college, if you go to art school, a lot of the time there’s monthly critiques, talking about the making of your work; the execution, the concepts and the ideas,” Eames said. “…if they’re looking to art as a career, I thought it was very important to have them engage in that type of conversation and experience those things.”

During the invitational, Eames finds immense joy in witnessing young creatives execute their vision. 

“Being able to work with some of these kids in small ways, being able to have conversations with them, seeing their work from like beginning to middle to end in a way and then getting to put it together into the show, that part is really exciting to me because I get to in a way be a part of their creative process,” Eames said. “To be at least given a snippet into that window with them is what I really truly enjoy.”

Eames and his assistant meticulously selected gallery-ready pieces for the exhibit, showcasing each school’s diverse range of artistic talent.

Basalt High School senior Lilu Illouz participated in the first invitational in 2023 and will once again exhibit her work at the Carbondale Clay Center. One of her pieces, titled “On Display,” is a clay heart, wrapped with red string and suspended within a picture frame. 

The piece is a “sustained investigation of the perception of romantic love from someone who’s never experienced it,” Illouz said. “It represents having all of my love be on display for people to see and the red string is the representation of love and how it’s wrapping around a heart, being enveloped over another symbol of love, which is the heart.” Illouz, who’s interested in art installation, has also been given the opportunity to help set up the exhibit. 

The invitational showcases a diverse array of artworks, ranging from elegant vases and tealight candle holders to functional salt and pepper shakers. 

Roaring Fork High School sophomore Valeria Duron Camacho added her unique touch with two pieces, including a salt and pepper shaker set crafted in the shape of a slice of watermelon. One shaker resembles the watermelon and is nestled in the other, which is shaped like the rind.

Camacho was surprised when her work was chosen for the exhibit. “I thought it was just a salt and pepper shaker,” she said. “I didn’t think that more people would actually like it, but I was happy that they thought it was worth a professional space.”

Candace Teresa Samora, a senior at Roaring Fork High School, created intricate pieces that showcase her passion for history and her Navajo heritage.

One of Samora’s artworks is a bust called “The Queen” and a crown simply named “The Crown.” Both pieces capture the essence of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria. Every detail — from the dress and jewelry to the hair — represents a distinct aspect of each queen. 

Samora also crafted bookends that resemble tree stumps. Painted to mimic desert trees, the bookends are named after the Hovenweep National Monument, which spans the southeast Utah and southwest Colorado border near the Navajo reservation where Samora was raised.

During one of the invitational receptions, Samora plans to share how her cultural identity informs her art. 

“For now I’m planning on talking about what motivates me, my art, where I find inspiration for (it), all of which stem from my tradition because I’m Navajo Native American and my mom lives on the reservation,” Samora said. “That’s where I find a lot of my inspiration from, and that’s also what drives a lot of my artistic abilities, not even in ceramics, just generally.”

In her 12 years of teaching, Carpenter, an art teacher at Roaring Fork High School, has never had the opportunity to offer her students an experience like the invitational, despite the plethora of galleries in Kansas City where she used to teach. 

“There are many galleries that could offer a space like this, but they’re basically substituting a professional show for a student exhibition, which potentially doesn’t make them money,” she said. “For the students to be able to have this opportunity and to have a conversation with a reporter, to go on the radio or to stand up in front of a group and speak about their art, it’s literally invaluable.”