The Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition, now in its fifty-fifth year, is dedicated to the educational and artistic advancement of our talented young people in the state of Ohio. The exhibition is open to all of Ohio’s 1,112 high schools, both public and private, chartered by the State of Ohio Department of Education. Our purpose is to provide all budding young artists of the state with opportunities to advance their talent, whether that be through scholarships or simply experiencing the process of entering their work in a competition. The exhibition is a valuable incentive for our young people; it encourages an appreciation for the arts throughout Ohio and reflects the fine quality of art instruction and talent which exist in our state.

Hassan Qureshi is a Columbus based artist with experience in painting, drawing and Arabic calligraphy. He believes all artists are storytellers, and his form of storytelling is through painting. Although his subject matter varies, he is currently exploring hyper-realism in wildlife and endangered species.

Hassan has exhibited his work in multiple galleries throughout the states and has held solo exhibitions as well. Most recently, he’s completed two large scale murals in Columbus that incorporate wildlife and abstraction.

As an artist, Hassan believes in the capacity to challenge oneself to think differently and therebyfinding new perspectives. To be innovative, one must constantly be willing to push their limits, as that is what he is currently trying to do with his hyper-realistic work. His goal is to inspire his audience into falling in love with the natural world and the animals that live in it.

Emily Morgan (a.k.a. Lovely But Dead) is a collage artist based in Columbus, Ohio where she finds endless inspiration in the vibrant and diverse artistic community. WIth a deep love for detail and composition, she specializes in creating captivating images that evoke both curiosity and emotion. Her thought-provoking works captivate the senses, as viewers immerse themselves in the harmonious dance between the organic and abstract. As the founder of the Columbus Collage Collective, Emily finds joy in sharing her creative process with others and is dedicated to fostering a sense of community through art.

Kathy L. McGhee works at the Columbus College of Art & Design.  There she a professor in fine arts, and Area Coordinator of Printmaking.  She teaches introductory, intermediate and advanced printmaking. McGhee, who has shown her work both nationally and internationally, is a practicing printmaker who has had her work published in Printmakers Today. McGhee received the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s International Residency Award in 2005 and traveled to Germany. In 2010, she was a participant in the Xi’an International Printmaking Workshop held at Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in China, and in 2012, she received an international residency through the Ohio Arts Council.  In 2019, she was an artist in residence at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and also at the Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

She has a BS in plant biology, Ohio State University, 1997; BFA in drawing and painting, Ohio State University, 1997;  MFA in printmaking, Ohio State University, 2000.