Zuha Ali, right, and her art instructor, Chi-jen Fang, pose beside Zuha’s honorable mention-winning work (top) during a reception hosted by the Hoosier Salon for the cooperative calendar student artists at the Indiana Governor’s Residence in September. Zuha created the work of a rooster tending a brood of rambunctious chicks for Father’s Day as a sixth grader. Fang, who instructed four of the winners, teaches art at her studio in West Lafayette. Taking the picture is Zuha’s dad, Muhammad Ali.

Cameras flashed and young faces beamed as the winning student artists in the 2012 Cooperative Calendar of Student Art were honored both collectively and individually by Hoosier Salon, state’s premier arts organization, at a special reception Sept. 29 at the Governor’s Residence in Indianapolis.

Thirteen of the 22 students whose works appear in the calendar attended the reception. The contest, sponsored and coordinated by Electric Consumer and Indiana’s REMCs last March, produced 13 grade division winners (kindergarten through 12th), and nine honorable mention winners from all grades. The calendar is now available at participating REMC/REC offices around the state.

Donnae Dole, executive director of Hoosier Salon, congratulated each student and talked to each about her interest in art and winning work at the reception.

“This is a great opportunity for young artists to work their art and show their art,” said Chi-jen Fang, an art instructor from West Lafayette who’s tutored a number of calendar contest winners over the years, including four in the 2012 calendar.

Both Fang and Christi Ziebarth, an art teacher and mother of sixth grade winner Heidi Ziebarth, noted the contest is about much more than just awards. Ziebarth said each grade winner represents hundreds of excited students around the state, and parents and teachers who thought about art and themes, and worked on drawings and paintings for the contest.

“This is not about winning or losing,” said Fang. “This is about art. The great thing is how you do it. The process is the thing.”

The group of students, families and teachers were also greeted by representatives from the Governor’s Residence, Hoosier Salon and Indiana’s REMCs. The Great Frame Up donated half the cost of professionally framing each piece.

This marks the second year of a partnership between Hoosier Salon and Indiana’s electric cooperatives.

After the reception, the 22 pieces of student art began a tour of the Hoosier Salon’s three art galleries and will be on hand for Indiana Statewide REC’s annual meeting this month in Indianapolis. The works are scheduled to travel to the Hoosier Salon galleries in Wabash and New Harmony.

Bailey Ebbing, the cover artist of the 2012 calendar, reacts with pleasant surprise at another winning work inside the calendar. With her are her parents, Thomas and Bobbi Ebbing. Bailey, now a first grader, attends St. Mary’s School in Greensburg.

At the reception, Hoosier Salon executive director Donnae Dole introduces the calendar’s June artist, Heidi Ziebarth. Dole introduced each of the 13 attending students and talked a little about their winning entry. Heidi was a sixth grader at Warsaw’s Harrison Elementary when she created the mosaic for the calendar last spring.