Press release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (January 27, 2014) Four Asheville School students recently received 11 awards in the 2014 Western North Carolina Regional Scholastic Art Awards held at the Asheville Art Museum. These 11 works will be on display at the Asheville Art Museum from Friday, January 31 to March 1. The Scholastic Art Awards ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, February 23 at 2:00 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theater. There is an opportunity to visit the exhibition following the ceremony for any students, faculty or parents who would like to attend the event.
The Western North Carolina Regional Scholastic Art Awards is a juried competition, which showcases outstanding visual arts created by middle and high school students in grades 7-12 from Western North Carolina.
“We only submitted 17 pieces and out of 17 entries we won 11 awards. It’s a big achievement compared to past years,” said art teacher Claire Smith. “Our gold award winners will be judged on a national level.”
This nonprofit organization’s legacy dates back to 1923 with a noteworthy roster of past winners including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates.
“It’s the only organization that nationally recognizes young artists,” Smith said.
Four Asheville School students were recognized with awards, and three received top awards in the competition. Margaret Anne Munday (Hilton Head, SC) received two Gold Key Awards, and a Silver Key Award. Sonja Erchak (Asheville, NC) received two Gold Key Awards and three Silver Key Awards, and Sophia Curtis received one Gold Key Award and one Honorable Mention. Perla Hainey-Jardine (Asheville, NC) received Honorable Mention for her work.
“Art is something I do for myself, but it’s nice to know that other people appreciate it,” said Perla Hainey-Jardine who considers ink as her favorite medium. “I’ve been taking art classes since I was four years old. This is my first Scholastic Award.”
Located in the mountains of North Carolina, Asheville School is a nationally acclaimed co-ed, college preparatory, boarding and day school, enrolling approximately 280 students from 20 states and 17 countries. Recent graduates have been accepted to Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Caltech, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill, Davidson, NC State, University of Virginia, Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, and Yale among others.
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