Chiloquin students earn art awards through Two Rivers Art Gallery partnership

Nov. 12, 2026 / A mask made from rocks. Another decorated with feathers. Others designed to make people laugh or look twice.

Chiloquin Junior/Senior High School students brought their imagination to Two Rivers Art Gallery’s first youth Mask Mania show, where their masks earned awards and caught the attention of gallery visitors. Seven students even sold their creations.

The project came together through a partnership between the gallery and high school art teacher Michael Schmidt. A grant from the Klamath Cultural Coalition provided materials and supplies, and Schmidt guided students as they designed and made their masks. Christy Dugger, the gallery’s assistant director and youth program coordinator, and Paula Crowder, assistant youth program coordinator, regularly visited art classes to work with students as their projects took shape.

About 100 students participated, from seventh graders to students in advanced art classes, along with others who weren’t enrolled in art. Schmidt said the project generated excitement among students and made for a fun start to the school year.

But the experience offered more than the chance to make something unusual. “It’s about self-expression and finding your voice and following your own creative impulses,” Schmidt said.

The gallery has hosted Mask Mania for adults in the past. This year, it expanded the show to include young artists, giving students a chance to display their work and offer their creations for sale. Gallery representatives returned to Chiloquin Junior/Senior High School on Nov. 6 for an all-school assembly to recognize students whose masks won awards or sold during the exhibition.

Dugger told students that the arts deserve recognition alongside academics and athletics.
“Making things with your own hands is satisfying. It’s therapeutic, and it’s problem-solving,” she said.

Public voting determined the awards, with winners receiving $50 cash prizes from the gallery.

STUDENT MASK SALES: Jaxson Baker, Ben Gelgut, Quaroalee McRae, Qhenhi Riddle, Bryant Robinson, Lillian Parrish and Cathern Furney.

AWARD WINNERS: Lillian Parrish, Party Mask; Sharon Jones, Heebie/Jeebie; Justin Parrish, Laugh Out Loud; Tristan Gillium, Most Unexpected; Brian Page, Pulled from Nature; Jade Martin, Feather, Feather, Feathers; Daren Crawford, Most Cleverly Painted; Daniella Yost, Glam; Nemesis Walther, Overall Highest Votes; Brooke Penick, Overall Fan Favorite; Stephen Miller, Chiloquin Visions in Progress.

School Board member John Rademacher presented Miller with a $50 award on behalf of Chiloquin Visions in Progress, a local community organization.

The gallery also hosts a spring youth exhibition featuring students’ work from throughout the school year. “They do amazing things that, very frankly, none of us in the gallery and none of our visitors ever conceived could happen,” Dugger said.See less