Addison Trail students participate in 2026 Illinois High School Art Exhibition

To view photo captions, click on the images above.

On April 19, five Addison Trail students participated in the Illinois High School Art Exhibition (IHSAE) at Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago.

The IHSAE Main Event featured awards, college scholarships and a live art competition (Art Throwdown). Students also were able to meet with representatives from colleges/universities and show their portfolios.

This event is hosted by Art ConnectED and brings together top student artists from more than 100 Illinois high schools to celebrate the power of art in their lives. This year’s exhibition showcased more than 1,000 works of art from young artists in more than 10,000 square feet of gallery space. For more information, go to www.artconnected.org or www.bridgeportart.com/ihsae-2026.

To view a photo gallery, see the images above.

Below are the Addison Trail students who participated in the show:

• Freshman Gianna Vargas: Photography (earned a Special Award: The America 250^th Patriotic Art Award, Bronze Medal)
  
  
• Freshman Alexander Macedo: Photography
  
  
• Junior Manuel Sandoval: Design
  
  
• Senior Janet Simental: Painting and Art Throwdown (earned 1^st place/won the Art Throwdown competition)
  
  
• Senior Jimena Hernandez Reyes: Drawing and Painting