UNCSA Visual Artists win 24 awards at Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Nine high school students in the Visual Arts Program were awarded a total of 12 Gold Keys, seven Silver Keys and three Honorable Mentions in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest-running initiative supporting student achievement in the visual and literary arts.

Two UNCSA students had their work nominated for American Visions Awards, the highly coveted prizes for the best work in the district. American Vision nominees are included in a national exhibit in New York City in June, where one will be awarded Best in Show. Gold Key winners also advance to national adjudication.

Awards were presented earlier this month at Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina. Selected works are published in the exhibition catalog. Barton College annually hosts the Eastern/Central Regional District in North Carolina, representing 62 counties from the Piedmont to the coast.

“These awards are well-deserved by our young artists who work very hard honing their craft,” said Will Taylor, director of the Visual Arts Program. “We’re proud to see them recognized for their talent, discipline and creative vision.”

The award winners are:

Alannah Couch of Warrenton, a Gold Key;

Jane Ferry of Mount Airy, a Gold Key;

Ace Kim of Apex, a Silver Key;

Lorelei Lin of Cornelius,  three Gold Keys, a Silver Key, and an American Visions Award nomination;

Cora McAnulty of Kernersville, a Silver Key;

Eduardo Rosario-Nieves of Charlotte, a Silver Key;

Hami Trinh of Sanford, five Gold Keys, two Silver Keys, one Honorable Mention and an American Visions Award nomination;

Ila Waller of Chapel Hill, two Gold Medals and two Honorable Mentions

Grace White of Clemmons, a Silver Key.

The nationally renowned Scholastic Art Awards program was created for middle and high school students to encourage student achievement, to recognize and applaud art teachers, and to emphasize the importance of the visual arts in the school curriculum. Students from 131 schools entered the regional competition, submitting 3,445 works in categories including architecture, comic art, ceramics & glass, digital art, product design, drawing, fashion, film & animation, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video games. An additional 98 portfolios were submitted.

Since the program’s founding in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have fostered the creativity and talent of millions of students, including renowned alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their fields, such as Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Charles White, Philip Pearlstein, Sylvia Plath, Kay WalkingStick, Luis Jiménez, Ken Burns, Stephen King, Lena Dunham, Richard Linklater, and Zac Posen.

UNCSA’s Visual Arts Program, part of the School of Design and Production, enrolls high school juniors and seniors who commit to a rigorous course of study in design, drawing, sculpture and art history.

“Our visual artists are crafting incredible works in drawing, sculpture, design, mixed media, and digital media,” said Michael Kelley, Dean of Design and Production. “We’re proud to see their work recognized in a highly competitive district. Congratulations to the winners and their faculty mentors: Will Taylor, Kaitlyn Botts and Elizabeth Alexander.”

Graduates of the Visual Arts Program have continued to pursue their interest in the fine arts at universities such as Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas City Art Institute, Maryland Institute College of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, School of Art Institute of Chicago, Ringling College of Art and Design, School of the Museum of Fine Art - Boston and College for Creative Studies.

Alumni have enjoyed successful careers in photography, graphic design, painting, animation, sculpture, installation art, makeup artistry and arts education. World-renowned photographer, documentary filmmaker, and director David LaChapelle, an alumnus of the Visual Arts Program, was the speaker for UNCSA’s high school commencement in 2015.

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