Art Awards for Local Students

Samples of artwork by Ellery Von Dassow (Left) and Alaina Scheffer (Right)

Western Region Awards for Friday Harbor High School Artists

San Juan Island’s Friday Harbor High School Art Instructor Andy Anderson is very proud to announce that two Friday Harbor High School AP Studio Art students have won the highest recognition in the 2014 Western at Large Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Competition.

The Western Region includes California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The award winning portfolios were submitted by seniors Ellery Von Dassow and Alaina Scheffer. Friday Harbor High School was awarded two “Gold Key” portfolios out of only five selected from the Western Region.

According to its website, since 1923, The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers has identified teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent to bring their work to a national audience. In the last five years alone, students submitted nearly 900,000 original works of art and writing and only a small percentage of these receive the designation of “Gold Key”, “Silver Key”, or “Honorable Mention”.

Ellery received two “Gold Key” designations, and one “Silver Key”. Alaina was awarded one “Gold Key” and three “Honorable Mentions” (details below).

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers website encourages any public, private, parochial or home-school student in grades 7 – 12 in the U.S., Canada or an American school abroad to participate in the Awards for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published.

“This juried work is evaluated on originality, technical skill and personal voice or vision,” explained Anderson, “This is a tremendous honor and recognition of the hard work and dedication of our students. I want to take a moment here to thank our community for their support of our school art program. Due to public school budget constraints, it is groups like the Island Museum of Art, the PTAs, the Washington State Arts Commission and local private donors that makes a strong public school art program possible. Talented kids like Ellery and Alaina are clearly worth supporting.”

Award details:
Ellery Von Dassow

• Inanimate Humanity, Portfolio – Gold Key
• But On Paper, Ma’am, Drawing – Gold Key
• Arrested, Drawing – Silver Key

Alaina Scheffer

• Things Unspoken, Portfolio – Gold Key
• Forgiveness 101, Drawing – Honorable Mention
• Why? Painting – Honorable Mention
• Boxed In, Drawing – Honorable Mention

All Gold Key works have moved on to National adjudication. National Medalists will be announced online March 17.

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