Cale Jarmes Scholarship Art Auction

SIGOURNEY – Nearly four years ago on March 27, 2017 the Sigourney community lost 61-year-old Joe Snakenberg, and high school sophomore, 15-year-old Cale Jarmes in a vehicle accident near Agency. Cale was the youngest son of Gary and Jaci Jarmes.

In 2018, the first annual event to raise funds for the newly formed Cale Jarmes Fine Arts Scholarship was held with a waffle breakfast and art sale. Since then, the annual event has grown into a primary art auction which funds the scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of the people of Sigourney and surrounding area, the Cale Jarmes Fine Arts Scholarship fund has been able to provide many Sigourney art students with scholarships towards their higher education. Not only does the scholarship let Cale’s memory live on, but it also allows the Jarmes family to give back to the community and school that Cale loved.

Those who knew him describe Cale’s personality as “larger than life”. They talk about his clear blue eyes and ready, if not mischievous, smile. Cale participated in football, wrestling, soccer, track, baseball, and drama during his high school years and has been acknowledged as a talented artist.

The 2021 Cale Jarmes Fine Arts Scholarship online art auction is scheduled for Monday, March 8 at noon through Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. The artwork will have been created by current students or donated by past students including Wisconsin architect Miranda Seals, as well as some special art friends such as local artist Megan Clark. The auction will be held online on The Art of Sigourney Schools Facebook page with pictures and descriptions of the artwork.

Instructions on how to bid will also be included.

Along with being shown online, the offered art will be on display in the Sigourney Junior/Senior High School commons area beginning after set-up on March 8. Bidding clipboards will be available although all efforts are being made to keep the bidding process as hands free as possible.

Sigourney art teacher, Rebecca Shaw, explains the “JOY” lettering (pictured) was created by Cale in her classroom over a two-month period in late 2016. “He measured, cut, measured again, plastered, and covered the letters with many, MANY photocopied Hymns. He finally aged them by using tea, and then covered them with modge podge to seal them”, explained Mrs. Shaw. A limited number of reproductions of Cale’s “JOY” letters will be included in the online auction. For more information about the online auction, or how to apply for the scholarship, you may contact organizer Rebecca Shaw at Rebecca.Shaw@SigourneySchools.com.