This year, artists at Sheyenne High School have excelled, achieving local and in Koi’s case, national recognition. Senior, Koi Hiller, has been awarded for her hard work and dedication with the American Visions Award. The award is the highest achievement for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a contest that gets thousands of submissions from students across the United States. The acceptance of this award will take place in New York City at the famous Carnegie Hall.

Her artwork titled “Death is Beautiful” was created with red earthenware media and if you look closely, it displays important details. The story behind this project is one that has touched the hearts of many people.

In this year alone, Koi has lost many people dear to her and her family, one of these people being her dad. She shared how her passion for art has helped her cope with all the unknowns of navigating life without these special people. She expressed her desire to rewire her thinking from the hatred she felt to finding the hidden beauty, saying that “that’s what art is, you express how you feel.”

This story inspired her mask creations as each one represents not only a way to remember those she lost, but also to show the stages of grief she has gone through over this hard time. “This is going to be the series that is after them and their memories that not everyone knows today…” she shared, “there is intention in each mask. This is where I was broken, this is where I started to get put back together, and this is where I’m whole again.”

After these losses though, her definition of “whole” has changed, adding that there might always be pieces missing that belong to those who have been lost. This artwork, after all, was about the transition after death, and all the broken pieces that can still be found beautiful. The details such as the butterflies and dragonflies are used to present this to viewers.

Along the way, Koi has had some amazing support, specifically thanking her art teacher, Ryba, who pushed her to ask questions and explore more concepts in her artwork. Koi spent a lot of time in the art room and found that the environment aided her in the long hours she put towards her work. This project was started at the beginning of this school year, in 2021, and wrapped up in the early months of 2022.

To Koi, a big trip like this will be new. She said she is most excited to experience the culture of New York City for herself rather than only knowing what she sees in the movies. One of her main destinations in NYC is the museums there.

As for her future in art, Koi has received scholarships to continue her art. One of the places she is interested in is North Dakota State University (NDSU). Despite these college considerations, Koi will continue making art even if it doesn’t result in a career. To her, art is a passion, and in some ways, a lifestyle.