MERRILLVILLE – The Schools Office of the Diocese of Gary is excited to announce this year’s Catholic Identity Art Contest. This initiative is made possible thanks to the collaboration and creativity of Catholic high school art teachers, who have worked diligently to prepare the details for this year’s contest.
“We are grateful for their dedication in providing our students with this opportunity to express their faith through art,” said Jodi R. McLawhorn, Ed.D., assistant superintendent of academics and Catholic identity.
McLawhorn explained that all students in grades K–8 are encouraged to submit an original piece of art that reflects this year’s theme, “Faith, Hope, and Love: What does God’s love look like in your life?”
Now through the end of November, elementary schools will be introducing the contest to their students and parents, encouraging students to participate, setting a deadline for submission, and determining their best work within grade levels. Each school may submit five pieces of their best artwork that reflects the theme from grade levels: K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. All art mediums are accepted (drawings, paintings, digital design, ceramics and sculpture).
In January 2025, art submissions will be delivered by elementary teachers and installed at high schools. Those submissions will be displayed at the high schools, evaluated by judges and the winning entries will be featured in the Catholic Schools Week Mass programs.
“I love being an art teacher,” said Matthew Raney, an instructor at Marquette High School in Michigan City. “I love getting to work with young people and help them share their creative ideas.”
Raney has taught art in six different states in the past 22 years, and this is his first year teaching classes at Marquette. While he shared that he will not be working directly with the students on the projects, he is very excited to see where the young artists take the project.
Raney will be working to display and judge the final projects and hopes to work with the elementary teachers to provide support and motivation for student work.
“I feel this is a great use of art to strengthen Catholic values,” he said. “I am very excited to host the event at Marquette this year. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the elementary art teachers to make this project come alive.”
BNI Teacher Dana Moore has been an art instructor for 10 years as well as a commissioned artist for the past 15. What she enjoys most about teaching is the connection she is able to build with her students – watching them grow in their critical thinking skills and seeing their confidence rise throughout the school year.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to witness their creativity develop and to see them take pride in their artistic accomplishments – and moreover being able to learn from my students as well,” she said.
Moore appreciates that the art contest includes students of all ages across the diocese, fostering a sense of connection and collaboration among schools. She said that it provides younger students with a meaningful opportunity to express their creativity and showcase their talents, while also introducing them to the experience of participating in a formal art contest.
“My high school students have embraced this project with great enthusiasm and positivity,” Moore added. “They’ve shown a genuine eagerness to participate, and many have shared that it allows them to explore and express their faith in a deeper, more personal, and artistic way. It’s been wonderful to see how they connect their artistic vision with their relationship with God.”
Moore shared that she feels truly blessed to teach within the Diocese of Gary. She began her career at St. Casimir School in Hammond and also had the privilege of working with students at St. Stanislaus School in East Chicago and St. Thomas More School in Munster.
“Teaching within this community has been both a joy and a calling,” she said. “It’s an honor to help guide students as they grow academically, spiritually, and artistically on their journey with the Lord.”
For more information on the Catholic schools within the Diocese of Gary, visit https://dcgary.org/office-catholic-schools.
