The Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley has announced that several students from Southwest Virginia have been recognized at the national level by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Among this year’s winners is Blacksburg High School student Karen Villanueva, whose drawing titled “Early Mornings” earned a gold medal. Her teacher is Katy Dryman.
The students first qualified by winning awards at the regional level through the contest’s Southwest Virginia affiliate, FACNRV, which has been serving in this capacity for nearly 20 years.
Scholastic reported that this year nearly 230,000 works of art and writing were submitted to more than 100 affiliate partners across the country. The winners from Southwest Virginia joined more than 80,000 student winners nationwide.
Students compete for silver and gold medals and the organization’s highest award, the American Visions medal. Additional winners from the region include:
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American Visions Medal & Gold Medal: “Lamb Chop,” painting by Allison Pully, Lord Botetourt High School, Daleville (Ingrid Chase, teacher).
Silver Medal: “Pieces of Me,” drawing by Urunna Anyanwu, Burton Center for Arts & Technology, Salem (Natalie Strum, teacher).
Silver Medal: “Queen Elizardbeth,” drawing by Andrea Gonzalez, Burton Center for Arts & Technology (Natalie Strum, teacher).
Silver Medal: “Pollo Loco,” sculpture by Halle Reese, Lord Botetourt High School (Ingrid Chase, teacher).
Silver Medal: “The Will O’ Wisp,” animation by Lucy Burnett, Community High School of Arts & Academics, Roanoke (Patti Kapral, teacher).
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the country’s longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades seven through 12. Since the program’s founding in 1923, the awards have fostered the creativity and talent of millions of students, and include a distinguished list of alumni that includes Andy Warhol, Ken Burns, Lena Dunham, Richard Avedon and Zac Posen, all of whom received recognition in the Scholastic Awards when they were teens.
More information about the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards can be found by visiting the Scholastic newsroom at www.artandwriting.org.
In celebration of this year’s regional recipients, the Fine Arts Center has prepared an online gallery on its website at facnrv.org/scholastic-2021.
Student winners will be honored during a special awards ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City in June 2020.