The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum (CTHM) is proudly showcasing the “Best of the Best” from the 2025 Cuero ISD Western Art Show and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Art Show, running from February 4 to February 18 at 302 N. Esplanade St. The exhibition is organized by Cuero High School art teacher Heather Stewart, Junior High art teacher Kelle Clark, and Elementary art teacher Kelli Dingle.
Upon entering the Wofford Room at the museum, visitors will find a table displaying copies of the winners’ artwork with their trophies and ribbons.
“These represent our Best of Show, Gold Medalists, and Special Merit awards,” Heather Stewart said beamingly, cautioning viewers against taking photos of the displayed winners.
“The winners are still competing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. If the judges see these images on social media, it could reveal the identity of the student and their location, leading to disqualification,” she explained.
The winners include: Hunt Elementary: Best of Show Layla Malagon and Gold Medal Crystal Gutierrez Contreras; Cuero Junior High: Best of Show Morgan Zengerle and Gold MedalRileyDickens;Cuero High School: Best of Show Eli Garrett, Gold Medalists HunterPfenningerand Emily Woods, Special Merit awards for Hope Cooper andDonovanGarcia.
“You can see that there are three Best of Show trophies right here!” Stewart exclaimed.
“The quality of our art pieces this year was so impressive that the judges revisited them and awarded us two Special Merit awards, both for high school.
In fifth grade, Kai Smith explains to his grandfather about a game he has on his Xbox and how he was inspired to draw a western town, with a saloon as the main focal point. He used crayons and colored pencils for his drawing. The title of the work is “The Town of Valentine.”
(Ele Chew) We achieved the highest number of awards that a school of our size can earn in a show,” she continued.
Judges evaluate the artwork, with the top pieces advancing to compete in Houston, while the remaining works return home for display in the district art show currently hosted at the CTHM.
All Cuero art students from grades 2 to 12 participated in the show, producing a total of 180 juried art pieces. The rules stipulate that the theme must be Western, and junior high and high school students are allowed to work from photographs taken by themselves, their immediate family, close friends, or district employees. Internet or professional images are not permitted.
Most elementary students create their art projects using colored pencils or crayons, while junior high and high school students typically favor high-quality Prisma colored pencils or graphite, with a smaller number also using acrylic paints. High and junior high students spend approximately 11 weeks working on their pieces, while elementary students have a shorter turnaround as they split time between art and music.
Junior high art teacher Kelle Clark commends her students’ dedication.
“They take due diligence. They go through step by step, and they painstakingly use Prisma colors to get exactly the effect that they’re looking for. It is amazing!” Clark said.
High school junior Colton Suter pointed to his“MamaKissedbyGod' drawing, showing how difficult it is to blend.
“A cow came up to the fence and looked through. And you can see the sunlight is actually cut by the boards and on his face. I think there were a few ups and downs with it. Trying to figure out the actual color of the cow and getting the blending quite right was a little difficult for me,” he said.
Elementary art teacher Kelli Dingle is impressed by her students’ creativity. “I was so impressed with my students being able to brainstorm their Western drawings! They were able to create their drawing just from flipping through reference pictures and their own life experiences. They added character and story to the artwork, which I am proud of!” she said.
“The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum has graciously hosted our district show for six years. We are so grateful to the museum for providing our students the opportunity to display their artwork in a museum setting surrounded by other art,” Stewart said.
Be sure to visit the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum to see the artistic talent of DeWitt County. The community eagerly awaits to see if any of the nine winners will secure one of the 55 auction slots at the Hayloft Gallery at NRG Center on March 4. For more information regarding the museum and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Art Show, please refer to the following links: https:// chisholmtrailmuseum. org/about-western-heritage- museum/ https:// www.rodeohouston.com/ exhibitors-contestants/ school-art-contest/.
