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Gulf Middle student selected for artwork display

3 min read

A Gulf Middle School student will have his artwork on display in the state capitol building.

Organized by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Management Services, the “Art in the Capitol” contest is a statewide visual arts competition for students in sixth through eighth grade. It is open to public, private and home-schooled students in all the districts.

Within Lee County, a watercolor by eighth-grader Tate Williams was selected as the winner.

On Wednesday, Tate was recognized at his school during a small awards ceremony.

“We’re so excited,” Dr. Michelle Cort-Mora, principal of Gulf Middle, said.

“He’s a great student,” she added. “He’s a talented artist, as well.”

According to district officials, each school was permitted to submit up to two pieces of art for the competition. Approximately 50 pieces of artwork were submitted from educators countywide.

The contest called for a seascape, so Tate did a watercolor of a beach scene.

“It was a picture my mom had taken,” he said, adding that it was a shot of Captiva.

Copying the photo, he picked watercolors over his usual copic markers.

“I just thought it would be easiest to do with the water,” Tate said.

“You can lay it more loosely,” he added.

Tate explained that he prefers copic for drawing and painting because it allows for more detail.

“I usually do people,” he said of his typical subject matter.

Tate called winning the contest “awesome.”

“I think this is the first time I’ve won first (place),” he said.

Florida Rep. Dane Eagle, District 77, was on hand to accept Tate’s piece and take it to Tallahassee. All of the students’ artwork will be on display from March through May – the next legislative session.

“Tate here did a remarkable piece of work,” he said. “He did a great job.”

Eagle added that visitors to the capitol building will get a glimpse of the local area through his piece.

“I’m always bragging about Southwest Florida and the beauty we have here,” he said.

Stacy Peres, Tate’s art teacher at Gulf Middle since sixth grade, was also present.

She called the contest win for Tate “well deserved.”

“He’s a phenomenal artist,” Peres said. “He is constantly drawing.”

Tate acknowledged that he has about 30 sketchbooks going.

Peres explained that Tate normally sticks to drawing faces, like anime. In anime, the faces are more angular, with pointed chins. For one contest last year, she pushed Tate to aim for a more realistic look. Six months later, Peres sat down with him to compare his first art piece to the one he had worked on.

“He had just grown by leaps and bounds,” she said.

Tate has been a runner-up the last two years in Pride and Patriotism of Lee County. He has entered the Lee County School District’s Designs and Dreams and has taken part in Alliance of the Arts shows.

“Tate has always submitted pieces for contests,” Peres said.

A member of the National Honor Society and yearbook staff, Tate wants to attend an arts high school. However, he does not believe he will pursue a career as an artist.

“I don’t want it to become, ‘Oh, I have to go draw now,'” he said.

Judging for the “Art in the Capitol” contest took place in early December. According to district officials, the winners were selected in each district by a panel of high school art teachers.