The Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition invites high school students from the United States, U.S. Territories, and Canada to submit works in art and writing categories to regional competitions. Artworks may include photography, film, animation, ceramics, drawing, illustration, sculpture, comic art, and painting.
The school’s visual art teachers submitted numerous outstanding student works to the Connecticut Regional competition at the end of December. Fifteen students won four Gold Keys, six Silver Keys, and five Honorable Mentions for their work in studio art, ceramics and photography. The gold keys were awarded to Marisin McLain ’25, Olivia Zhang ’25, Andrew Hickman ’25, and Sophie Yang ’27.
Hickman, who studied with Ms. Ann Villano, instructor in photo, film, and related media, completed his work for his capstone Lower Mid project last spring. His winning photograph, “Embrace/Estrange,” depicts his relationship with the natural world of the rural area in which he grew up. He said, “I wanted to convey my personal relationship with nature, having grown up in a very rural area—how being isolated in nature can make you feel connected to your natural side, but also lonely.”
Many of the works submitted were created with the help of art faculty or as part of coursework. McLain said about her portrait “Girl with a Crown,” “Although our studio art portfolio class works independently, Ms. Moore meets with us to offer feedback and discuss our work. We also come together as a class to provide each other with constructive feedback. The collaborative dynamic Ms. Moore establishes in the classroom leads to an environment that helps us craft creative and thoughtful work.”
Zhang’s winning painting, “Joy,” was inspired by the community and natural world around the school. She said, “My piece was inspired by the joy that I get hanging out with my friends around campus. The painting is made up of two parts—one at the swing outside of Ms. Carita Gardiner’s house and one at the lake. The four subjects of my painting are all students from the school.”
Ella Yu ’24 was the only student to win an award, Honorable Mention, for a portfolio, rather than a single piece of work. With the help of Mr. Greg Lock, director of photography, digital film, and media, Yu put together a portfolio called, “A Search for Authenticity.” Yu said, “While the Asian American experience is different for everyone, I wanted to portray the feeling of embodying multiple identities and living between cultures. Mr. Lock’s guidance was immensely helpful in creating my portfolio. By encouraging me to experiment with different shooting techniques, he fostered a sense of adventure that made the portfolio creation process fun and exciting!”
Gold Key works will move on to the National competition; awards will be announced in June.
