Madison Bosworth, inspired by Poseidon, created a clay mask in his likeness and won a state award.
The Bowling Green Middle School eighth-grader was named the Sargent Art Award overall winner at the Ohio
Art Education Association youth art exhibit in Columbus in March.
She received $1,000, which she said went into her college fund.
“It was shocking,” Madison said about the win, which was in a competition for students in grades
kindergarten-12. “I didn’t expect to win.”
She also competed in the OAEA Youth Art Month competition and won first place.
An independent judge selected her piece for the Sargent Art Award from among the many on display at the
YAM show and the Young People’s Exhibition.
Art teacher Cindy Marso also received $1,500 in art supplies for her classrom.
Madison has taken art every year since kindergarten and said it is her favorite class.
“I found pictures of Poseidon and I just made it,” she said about the artwork.
The art class, taught by Marso, had plastic mask templates that students could shape their clay over.
“Poseidon is from the sea, so I made it blue,” Madison said.
According to Marso, the assignment had her eighth-graders pick a Greek god. For the clay masks, the Greek
god must be representative of the god. While others portrayed Poseidon with a trident, Madison used a
crown, Marso said.
Once the clay was on the mask, students had to cut out the eyes and mouth in an expression.
“Some of the Greek gods might be yelling orders,” Marso said. “Some of them are mean looking.”
The painting part starts with all black, then luminescent paint on top.
BGMS had the only students enter Greek gods in the YAM competition.
Madison is a member of the basketball team and football cheer squad, and also participates in Colorful
Clovers 4-H Club.
