Jean Gidich-Holbrook’s winning portrait of a Flint musician is an example of the type of social commentary coming out of the 14th Annual Northwest Ohio Community Art Show at Bowling Green State University.

Her piece, “We are Here,” is a pen and ink with graphite portrait of musician Miko Marks in Elko, Nevada, at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, just prior to the pandemic, in January 2020.

“I listened to her sing and asked if she would model,” Gidich-Holbrook said. “I had been throwing around the idea of making a series of these large drawings.”

The drawing is 48-by-54 inches, which she called “life size.”

Gidich-Holbrook said Marks’ album is all about things that are happening, good and bad, in the country.

“That drawing is called ‘We are Here,’ based on a song she wrote about her hometown, Flint, Michigan. …When I heard this album, it just blew me away, how it just went with the drawing.”

She created the piece as part of a three-piece set. They are each in the same style, with framed more like a painting, without glass, from the same elm tree that died of Dutch-elm disease in Fremont.

“No one knows those things, but I do. That’s what counts for me…. The whole drawing was just a great experience,” Gidich-Holbrook said. “It was definitely the most challenging drawing I’ve ever done, with the dreads in her hair and that guitar.”

She and Marks have kept in touch through Instagram.

Gidich-Holbrook is a studio art teacher at Genoa High School.

“I became the artist I am today because of working with my high school students. When you teach, you retain 80% of the knowledge,” Gidich-Holbrook, winner of the first place 2-D award, said.

Juror Laura Makar announced the art show winners at the June 24 opening reception.

“The artworks included in this exhibition demonstrate exceptional technique, quality, and presentation, making the selection process difficult, but enjoyable,” Makar said. “Looking at each work, one can understand how personal experiences and philosophies were inspirational to the artists. I was further impressed by their approaches that comment on contemporary society, evoking a sense of reflection and encouraging the viewer to address their own intentions and motivations.”

Makar earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from BGSU in 2009 and her Masters in Fine Arts from Wayne State University in 2014. Her work has exhibited locally and nationally, with solo exhibits at Whitdel Arts, Detroit, ROY G BIV Gallery, Columbus and Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati. Since 2015, Makar has served as the gallery manager for the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery and Art Department Gallery at Wayne State University.

“This show is different because all of the work that is submitted is accepted,” Jacqui Nathan, gallery director, said, calling the show “the people’s art exhibit,” for Northwest Ohio.

The juror’s selections totaled more than $2,000 in prizes. The show is open through Friday.