WNC students receive top honors at National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Press release:

The Asheville Art Museum is thrilled to congratulate four WNC high school art students on their receipt of prestigious national awards that recognize their outstanding talent. The nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers recently announced the national award recipients for the 2017 National Scholastic Art & Writing awards, the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. This year a record-breaking 330,000 works of art and writing were submitted for adjudication from regional affiliates. All student submissions to the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are judged based on the program’s three criteria: originality, technical skill and emergence of a personal vision or voice.

The WNC recipients of the 2017 National Scholastic Art Awards are:
• Camille Beatty – Gold Medal and American Visions Medal for Photograph, Enchanting, Carolina Day School, 11th grade, art instructor Marbie Kollath
• Yanka Kostova – Silver Medal for Art Portfolio, Dissociation and Silver Medal for Drawing & Illustration, Bird on a Wire, Carolina Day School, 12th grade, art instructor Marbie Kollath
• Jaya Mamas – Silver Medal for Drawing & Illustration, Fluid Dynamics, Carolina Day School, 12th grade, art instructor Marbie Kollath
• Gillian Maurer – Gold Medal, What Remains, Asheville High School, 12th grade, art instructor Kristina Shriver

In addition, Gillian Maurer has also been presented the Herb Block Foundation Award for her Editorial Cartoon, What Remains. This is a special sponsored award given by The Herb Block Foundation which celebrates the legacy of four-time Pulitzer Prize–winning political cartoonist Herb Block and his remarkable contribution to American history and free expression. Gillian is one of only three teen artists in the country selected this year to receive a $1,000 scholarship for her outstanding drawing which offers commentary on current events.

Student works are first adjudicated regionally through the more than 100 local Affiliates of the Alliance. The Asheville Art Museum, with support from the Asheville Area Section of the American Institute of Architects, is the Regional Art Affiliate of the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. This ongoing community partnership has supported the creative talents of WNC youth for 37 years. The WNC regional competition is open to students in grades 7-12 across 20 counties. The Museum first recognized its 176 WNC regional award recipients in January and February with an exhibition and awards ceremony as part of the 2017 Regional Scholastic Art Awards. The 13 works that received Regional Gold Keys were then sent to the National Scholastic Art competition. Regional Gold Key works are then judged nationally by an impressive panel of creative-industry experts to receive Gold, Silver, American Visions & Voices, Portfolio Silver with Distinction or Portfolio Gold Medals.

“Our wonder and amazement at the creative output of our country’s youth —and the dedication of our extraordinary educators—never ceases, and this year is no exception,” said Virginia McEnerney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Erin Shope, Manager of School & Family Programs of the Asheville Art Museum, echoes these sentiments. “It is our privilege to share in these moments of achievement for our area students and to support them on their journey to becoming creative adults by elevating their talents on a regional and national level.”

Of the four area students recognized at the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, two of them, Camille Beatty and Gillian Maurer, will be invited to the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in June. The Gold Portfolio, Gold Medal, and Silver Medal with Distinction students across the nation will be honored there with appearances by notable celebrities and creative leaders.

For more information about the WNC Regional Scholastic Art Awards visit: www.ashevilleart.org. For more information about the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards visit: www.artandwriting.org.