CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – On Wednesday, May 18, the winners of the First Lady Student Artist Series Golden Horseshoe Knighting Bench Design Contest in a ceremony West Virginia First Lady Cathy Justice at the West Virginia Culture Center, located at the Capitol Complex in Charleston, West Virginia.
First Lady Student Artist Series
As part of this contest, a segment of Justice’s First Lady Student Artist Series initiative, four West Virginia Career and Technical Education Centers manufactured knighting bench designs out of wood that were particularly merits of recognition. They were Roane-Jackson Career Technical Center, United Technical Center, Cabell County Career Technology Center, and Braxton County High School.
The winning bench is now part of the official Golden Horseshoe regalia and will be used to knight all future Golden Horseshoe recipients, starting with the next ceremony on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
Top students received the following prizes:
- 1st Place – $300
Austin Morrison and Marin Wickline
Cabell County Career Technology Center
Cabell County - 2nd Place – $200
Audrey Jackson and Chaela Harrison
United Technical Center
Doddridge, Harrison, and Taylor Counties - 3rd Place – $100
Ava Bratton
Roane County High School
Roane-Jackson Career Technical Center
Roane County - Honorable Mention – $75
Emily Garrett
Braxton County High School
Braxton County
“The Governor and I are so proud of these students and their creativity,” First Lady Cathy Justice said. “Combining design work and craftsmanship to create a piece that will become part of West Virginia history is very special.”
First the sword, now the bench
Casi Pourfarhadi served as a guest judge for the contest. Pourfarhani owns and operates Black Locust Woodshop with Dan Riffle in downtown Charleston, where they build custom furniture, commercial projects, tables, cabinets, and household items. Pourfarhadi has collaborated with the First Lady before; they were one of two artists that collaborated on the First Lady official Christmas ornament in 2018.
Last year, the First Lady’s Student Artist Series solicited designs for an original sword for the Golden Horseshoe Knighting Ceremony. The competition proved popular with students and citizens alike, and the swords have been displayed at the Governor’s Mansion. They are permanently housed in the State Museum collection.
This year, the West Virginia Department of Education awarded a grant to each of the Career Centers to cover costs associated with the creation of the knighting benches and to support their programs. Cabell County Career Technology Center, for example, will receive a total of $2,600 in a grant to cover costs and support their Career Center Program.
“The benches will remain in the archives forever, and this year, they will all be showcased on West Virginia Day and at our Golden Horseshoe Knighting ceremony,” WVDE Director of Student Enrichment Programs Joey Wiseman said. “The skill and craftsmanship that went into these benches is amazing, and we thank the teachers, students, and technical centers for all of their hard work.”