Evening of Art
Annual Student Achievement Awards

Evening of Art is our annual student achievement celebration, launched in 2007 to recognize and encourage young artists in our community. This youth-focused fundraiser showcases student artwork, presents awards in multiple categories, and helps create pathways for students to continue their artistic education. Community support makes this event possible, and you can get involved by sponsoring awards, contributing prizes, attending, or giving directly to youth programs.

Join us for our 19th Annual Evening of Arts

The 19th Annual Evening of Art will be held
Saturday, April 18, 2026
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hemet Public Library: 300 East Latham Ave, Hemet, CA 92543.

This special evening features student art and awards, member artwork available for purchase, a silent auction, live demonstrators, a gift basket raffle, and hors d’oeuvres with wine.

Admission is $15. Buy tickets at the gallery or online for Will Call only.

Gallery Location: 144 N. Harvard St., Hemet, CA 92543
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Call if you have questions: (951) 652-4592

Evening of Art Contribution Options:
5% Cover the Fee

Thank you for your consideration. If you are interested, we do have sponsorship levels available if you choose. This donation goes towards our restricted Evening of Art fund. ​HVAA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization Tax ID #95-3181720 and your donation is fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Collage of photos from an event with people smiling, socializing, and participating in activities. Includes group photos of women and men, a musical performance, artwork, and a table with cakes and crafts.
Three groups of people at an art event. The first group is on a stage with individuals receiving recognition or awards. The second shows a display of student artwork with ribbons indicating winners in various categories. The third group consists of four people posing together, some smiling and holding certificates, at an indoor social gathering.
Group photos of people at an art and craft event, including artists, attendees, a painting demonstration, artwork displays, art pieces, a music performance, and a raffle with baskets.
A collage of four photos showing a woman presenting awards to young individuals at an event, with other people and a blue background in some photos.

2026 Silent Auction Items

Preview our silent auction items ahead of our upcoming event on April 18, 2026, and start planning your bids now. Get your bids ready and don’t miss the chance to support local artists and our community programs!

A colorful quilt with a pixelated floral pattern in pastel and bright colors, framed with a dark border.

Square Menagerie Quilt
by Mike Yeager
HVAA Member, opening bid $200

Watercolor painting of a waterfall in a forest with rocks and greenery.

No Brushes Allowed
by Petty Pilley
HVAA Member, opening bid $350

Watercolor painting of a rocky shoreline with waves crashing against cliffs, with colorful rocks and a green and blue sky in the background.

Rising Tide - Central Coast
by Beverly Squire
HVAA Member, opening bid $100

A wooden model of a windmill with four blades, mounted on a stand with two shelves, placed against a plain wall.

Wooden Windmill
by Mike
donated by Diane Klewenhagen
HVAA Member, opening bid $75

Abstract painting with swirling circular patterns in purple, black, yellow, orange, and white colors.

Entanglement
by Kathy Schmitt
HVAA Member, opening bid $175

A close-up of an oil painting depicting a forest scene. There are colorful orange and yellow flowers, rocks, a birch tree, a fallen branch, and a textured ground, with a green background suggesting trees and foliage.

Drawing Water
by Stephen Packard
HVAA Member, opening bid $250

A colorful collage of butterflies and flowers created with various watercolor and paper cutout techniques.

A First Blooming
by Miyoko Whittelsey
HVAA Member, opening bid $200

Each year, many people step forward to make Evening of Art a success. Below are highlights of the student winners in Fine Art, Photography, 2D and 3D, and Ceramics, along with the corporate sponsors, demonstrators, sponsor level donors, auction and basket donors, and community partners who have generously supported Evening of Art in recent years. To everyone named here, and to the many members, friends, and supporters whose names may not appear on this list, we offer our deepest gratitude for believing in the power of art and investing in the next generation of creators.

19th Annual Evening of Arts 2026

  • 1st place: Valeria Hernandez – “Pose” - Hemet High School

    2nd place: Jasmine Martinez – “A Fighter’s Stance” - Hemet High School

    3rd place – Alexia Leon – “When Cherry Blossoms Bow to Stripes” – Tahquitz High School

    4th Place – Raiyah Ledwick – “Pop Art” – Hamilton High School

  • 1st place: Noemi Martinez – “Static T.V. Head” – West Valley High School

    2nd place: Yadira Antonio Vengas – “Curiosity Within the Flowers” – Hemet High School

    3rd place – Samira Sumlin – “Eye Contact” – San Jacinto Leadership Academy

    4th place – Ethan Arevalo – “Preserved” – West Valley High School

  • 1st place – Kira Smith – “Sense for the Senses” - Academy of Innovation

    2nd place – Molly Franks – “Hemet Baseball” – Hemet High School

    3rd place - Emily Franks – “Church Photo” – Hemet High School

    4th place: William Archer – “Time Machine” – Hemet High School

  • 1st place: Layzjah Dixon – “Kraken’s Cradle” – West Valley High School

    2nd place: Izabell Garcia Plazola – “Tiny Infestation” – West Valley High School

    3rd place – Cayce Bellomy – “Broken Guitar” – “West Valley High School

    4th place – Michelle Rocha – “Death’s-Head Hawk Moth Vase” – Hemet High School

  • 1st place: Addison Marshall- “Loyal Knight” – Hemet High School

    2nd place – Ethan Arevalo –“Photographer – West Valley High School

    3rd place – Giuliana Gonzalez – “Candlelight” – Academy of Innovation

    4th place – Addison Marshall – “Armored Duck” – Hemet High School

    • Gourd Art - Jenny Gagnon

    • Watercolor - Miyoko Whittelsey

    • Watercolor - Vicki Moran

    • Clay Sculpting - José Pacheco

    • Patti Greco - Fish Painting

    • Laurence Bellocq - Jewelry

    • Valerie Drummer, State Farm Insurance

    • Steve and Lesley Doyle

    • Darlene Woodcock

    • Sharon Jery

    • Mike Yeager / Earl McNeese

    • Sonia / Maria Mancilia

    • Donna Jean Guenther

    • Miller Jones Mortuary

    • Guy Salts

    • Susan Nielsen

    • Beverly Squire

    • The Camelot

    • Dignity

    • Jimmy D's Car Care Center

    • Sharon Domenigoni

    • Leonard & Sandra Gleason

    • Hear USA

    • El Basha

    • Rockin' K Ranch

    • Mike Yeager

    • Beverly Squire

    • Kathy Schmitt

    • Stephen Packard

    • Petty Pilley

    • Diane Klewenhagen

    • Miyoko Whittelsey

    • Teddie Oatey

  • A heart-felt thank you to all our members who created the beautiful raffle baskets this year. Those who made baskets, contributed items for baskets, brought in empty baskets and materials, and those who assembled them. Your finacial donations along with your valuable donation of time helped a great deal in supporting this event.

    • County Supervisor Gutierrez

    • City of Hemet

    • Hemet City Council

    • Assemblyman, Dr. Corey Jackson

    • Hemet Public Library, Kathye Caines

    • Hemet Chamber of Commerce

    • Hemet Heritage Foundation

    • Hemet Police Department

    • Harvard Street Bakery

    • Historic Hemet Theater

    • Hemet Concert Association

    • Ramona Hillside Players

    • Music Mania

    • The Golden Smoothies

    • Wildebietz Music Conservatory

    • Valley Quilters

    • Play With Your Food Productions

    • Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre

18th Annual Evening of Arts 2025

  • 1st Place: Chrissie Bugendyment, “Hills Burn in California,” Hemet High School

    2nd Place: Valerina Hernandez, “Lost in the Forest,” Hemet High School

    3rd Place: Jasmine Martinez, “Man and Moth,” Hemet High School

  • 1st Place: Ethan Arevalo, “Pier Reflections,” West Valley High School

    2nd Place: Valerina Hernandez, “Bumble Bee,” Hemet High School

    3rd Place: Alexia Leon, “The Long Summer,” Tahquitz High School

  • 1st Place: Lillian Gutierrez, “The Vivid Platter,” Academy of Innovation

    2nd Place: Natalie Manquez, “Journey Through Peaks,” Tahquitz High School

    3rd Place: Dazy Delong, “Interlude,” Tahquitz High School

  • 1st Place: Damien Ascencio, “Tooth and Brain,” West Valley High School

    2nd Place: Nadir Landin, “Moon Rocket,” West Valley High School

    3rd Place: Paula Terrazas, “The Bloom and the Burial,” Hemet High School

    • Valerie Drummer State Farm Insurance 951-658-2288

    • Steve Kosta Century 21 Masters 951-442-9125

    • Linda “Vivian” Baranek (basket making)

    • Nipa Swope (acrylic pour)

    • Jose Pacheco (sculpture)

    • Miyoko Whittelsey (watercolor)

    • Jenny Gagnon (gourds)

    • State Farm Insurance, Valerie Drummer

    • Esther Feigenbaum

    • Alison Wieman

    • Mike Yeager & Earl McNeese

    • Century 21 Masters,

    • Steve Kosta

    • Diane Klewenhagen

    • Sherri Domenigoni

    • Leonard & Sandi Gleason

    • Richard Lacasso

    • Jacqueline Peterson

    • Linda “Vivian” Baranek

    • Esther Feigenbaum

    • Diane Klewenhagen

    • Teddy Oatey

    • Betty Pilley

    • Pamela Flinn Schanuel

    • Lynn Throckmorton

    • Miyoko Whittelsey

    • Alison Wieman

    • Cathy Woolery

    • Mike Yeager

    • Polly’s Pies

    • Rockin’ K Restaurant

    • Los Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant

    • Century 21 Masters, Steve Kosta

    • City of Hemet & Hemet City Council

    • Dr. Corey Jackson, CA State Assemblymember

    • Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez, 5th District Supervisor, Riverside Co.

    • Harvard Street Bakery

    • Hemet Chamber of Commerce

    • Hemet Concert Association

    • Hemet Heritage Foundation

    • Hemet Police Department

    • Hemet Public Library, Kathye Caines

    • Historic Hemet Theatre

    • Ramona Hillside Players

    • State Farm Insurance, Valerie Drummer

17th Annual Evening of Arts 2024

  • 1st Place: Katelyn Browen - “Vibrant Youth” - Hemet High School

    2nd Place: Aries Luttrull - “Leviathan” - West Valley High School

    3rd Place: Valeria Morales - “Mandela King Shocks”

  • 1st Place: Lusita Madera -“It’s Evoiving” - West Valley High School

    2nd Place: Alecxa Ruiz -“Sorry For Leaving So Early” - Hemet High School

    3rd Place: Ariana Maya Mateo -“Abnora Coral Crusted” - West Valley High School

  • 1st Place: Jackson Morgan - “Out of Time” - Temescal Canyon High School

    2nd Place: Johnny Becerra -“Streetlights” - Tahquitz High School

    3rd Place: IsaBel Chavez – Untitled - Tahquitz High School

  • Hemet High School

    • Greyson Biship, “Giraffe,” ceramic

    • Katelyn Brown, “Blue Denim” acrylic painting

    • Bransel John Mejia, “Flavors of Togethernesss,” mixed media

    Alessandro High School

    • BraNajah Lawson, Untitled, pencil drawing

    West Valley High School

    • Maureen Jimeniz, “The Racoon,” painting

    • Eric Giberson, Woodworking’

    • Betty Pilley, Watercolor

    • Igor Koutsenko, Mixed Media

    • Sean Spoto, Acrylics

    • Rachel Welch, Acrylics

    • $1,000 anonymous matching donor (Those who matched anonymous donor)

    • Valene Drummer, State Farm Insurance

    • Andrew & Amanda Kotyuk, SoCal Propane

    • Raising Cane’s

    • Sheryl Cooley

    • Diane Klewenhagen-Gutierrez

    • Oehler Ranch

    • Ladies of the Lakes

    • Mike & Linda Baranek

    • Leonard & Sandi Gleason

    • The Lakes at Hemet West

    • Jacqueline Peterson

    • Steve & Lesley Doyle

    • James Winters

    • Jan Fifield

    • Anna Ives

    • Dan Wagner, Sanctum Games, Temecula

    • Grocery Outlet, Hemet

    • Linda Greilich, Golden Era Productions, San Jacinto

    • Los Vaqueros Restaurant, Hemet

    • Michael William Salon, Hemet

    • Red Robin, Hemet

    • Raising Cane’s, Hemet

    • Rockin’ K Ranch Restaurant, Hemet

    • Sandra Dunn, Hemet

    • Target, Hemet

    • Starbucks, Hemet

    • Tractor Supply, Hemet

    • City of Hemet

    • Hemet City Council

    • Hemet Public Library, Kathye Caines

    • Hemet Chamber of Commerce

    • Hemet Heritage Foundation

    • Hemet Police Department

    • Harvard Street Bakery

    • Willdebietz Music Conservatory

    • All Out Printing Plus

    • Historic Hemet Theater

  • $10,000 RCNAF Grant
    HVAA submitted a Riverside County Nonprofit Assistance Fund (RCNAF) grant application to Riverside County District 5 in February. Alison Wieman did most of the writing, while Sheryl Cooley ferreted out the materials required to be sent with it. Apart from the hassle in locating all the documentation, the most difficult thing was responding to the questions and written requirements on the online form itself. The information typed into it kept “disappearing,” requiring endless hours of laying it in again. Finally, with the help of the grant adminis-trator (Inland Empire Community United Way) representative who reached out to us late in the process (and who, by the way, deserves to be sainted), Alison slipped the application in just under the wire!

Group of five students holding art awards at a recognition event, with display artwork and certificates, in a large room with art displays and other people in the background.