Georgia District of Kiwanis Annual Art and Music Showcase in Albany Saturday

ALBANY — Southwest Georgia will have an opportunity Saturday to check out art displays and musical and vocal performances by students from across Georgia, as the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County and fellow clubs in Kiwanis Division 5 host the Georgia District of Kiwanis Annual Art and Music Showcase for the second consecutive year in Albany.

“It’s a pretty neat event,” said Ken Rodd, co-chair of the event. “Our talent is really something else.”

The art portion of the showcase got more participation this year, with approximately 95 works by students in grades 6-12. The works will be available for viewing from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Albany Area Arts Council building at Pine Avenue and North Jackson Street before the exhibit is closed for judging.

The musical showcase, featuring 19 high school contestants, will follow from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the adjacent Albany Municipal Auditorium. Each student will have the floor for four minutes, and winners will be revealed before the event wraps up shortly before 6 p.m.

“We will also be showcasing two of our older buildings,” said Kristin Caso, co-chair of the event.

Admission to both events is free to the public.

Contestants in both the art and music competitions will compete for a total of $15,000, or $7,500 in each category, in college scholarships provided by the Georgia District of Kiwanis Foundation. Those who get first place in their respective category will gain $3,500.

The Dougherty County Kiwanis Club has been hosting its own art contest for more than 30 years, the winner of which goes on to the state competition. Over the years, students from the Albany area have won more than $50,000 in scholarships from Kiwanis contests.

“It is awesome when art teachers tell you when (a student gets a scholarship), that it was the difference between going to college and not going to college,” Caso said.

Rodd said he has heard similar sentiment expressed by art teachers.

“Art teachers have said it is very important to encourage them (the students) in the arts,” he said.

The Dougherty art competition, which Rodd said has become the club’s signature event, has grown over time to bring in hundreds of entries — and hundreds more have come to look at the art at the Albany Mall in the weeks leading up to the state competition.

“This is not a normal high school talent show,” he said.

Caso said community support for the Albany artists was still evident this year when their work was being set up at the mall.

“We couldn’t get it on easels before people were asking us about it,” she said. “It is thought-provoking.

“(The competition) is very family-friendly, and it’s free. It’s a fun way to be able to showcase these children and showcase the winners.”

The maximum number of contestants allowed are one musical act and eight art entries per club, Caso said. The awards this year will be first, second and third place in each grade level for the art entries, and “Best In Show” first, second, third and fourth place in both categories.

“It doesn’t cost you anything to go if you want to see a good show,” Rodd said.

This is the second year of a three-year commitment by the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County to host the showcase.