Organizational Overview-2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
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ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
Organizational Overview—2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Mission
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers,
identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and brings their remarkable work
to a national audience.
History
Established in 1923 by Maurice R. Robinson, the founder of Scholastic Inc., the Awards are the
longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teenagers across America and
the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers. The Awards have an impressive
roster of notable Alumni including Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Luis Jiménez,
Sylvia Plath, Charles White, Kay WalkingStick, Ken Burns, Marc Brown, John Baldessari, Mozelle
Thompson, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Redford, Hughie Lee-Smith, Lena Dunham, and Zac Posen.
The Program
The Alliance, a 501(c)(3) organization, partners with more than 100 regional Affiliate Partners—
school districts, museums, colleges and universities, libraries, and other educational organizations—
to provide creative teens with opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.
Students in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) attending public, private, home, and U.S. schools abroad
may submit work in the following 29 categories:
Architecture & Industrial Design Fashion Personal Essay & Memoir
Art Portfolio Film & Animation Photography
Ceramics & Glass Flash Fiction Poetry
Comic Art Future New Printmaking
Critical Essay Humor Science Fiction & Fantasy
Design Jewelry Sculpture
Digital Art Journalism Short Story
Dramatic Script Mixed Media Video Game Design
Drawing & Illustration Novel Writing Writing Portfolio
Editorial Cartoon Painting
Regional and National Awards
At the regional level, works earn Honorable Mention, Silver Key, or Gold Key distinction. Gold Key
work advances to the national level where it is evaluated against others from across the country.
National awards include Gold, Silver with Distinction, and Silver Portfolio, and Gold and Silver Medal.
(Page 1 of 3)
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
At the national level, industry professionals evaluate student work. Notable past jurors include
Michael Beirut, Philip Pearlstein, Francine Prose, Edward Sorel, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost,
Judy Blume, Wangechi Mutu, Edwidge Danticat, Billy Collins, Paul Giamatti, Nikki Giovanni,
Red Grooms, Andres Serrano, Shinique Smith, and Waris Ahluwalia. Jurors look for works that best
exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. All work is
judged blindly, without knowledge of the student’s gender, age, or hometown.
In 2018, nearly 350,000 works of art and writing were submitted to regional programs across
the country. Students and their educators were recognized in their communities with more than
90,000 regional awards, and at the national level, more than 2,800 National Medals were awarded
and celebrated at the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall.
Special Achievement Awards
The Alliance partners with dedicated funders to offer Special Achievement Awards and scholarship
opportunities for students. Special Achievement Awards include the American Voices & Visions
Medals, the Best-in-Grade Award, the Civic Expression Award, The ESA Foundation Award for
Video Game Design, The Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon, the New York Life Award, the One
Earth Award, and the Alliance/ACT-SO Journey Award.
Educators are also eligible for Best-in-Grade, One Earth, and Portfolio awards. Individuals,
companies, or foundations interested in underwriting a Special Achievement Award can contact
support@artandwriting.org.
Scholarships
Sixteen graduating seniors earn Gold Medal Portfolio Awards and are presented with $10,000
scholarships; 30 Silver with Distinction Medal Portfolio awardees receive $1,000. The Alliance
partners with dedicated funders to offer Special Achievement Awards and scholarship opportuni-
ties for students.
The Alliance also partners with colleges and universities to earmark scholarships for college-bound
Scholastic Awards recipients. Each university has the final decision-making authority on awarding
scholarships. In 2018, our partners offered nearly $5 million in additional college scholarships to
our students.
The Scholastic Awards Summer (SAS) Scholarship Program provides students who have been
recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards an opportunity to attend summer art or writing
programs on a full-tuition scholarship, underwritten by colleges, universities, camps, and non-
profit institutions.
Other Programs
National Student Poets Program
The National Student Poets Program—a collaboration with the Institute of Museum and Library
Services—strives to inspire other young people to achieve excellence in their own creative endeavors
(Page 2 of 3)
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
and promote the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success. The
program links the National Student Poets with audiences and neighborhood resources such as
museums, libraries, and other community-anchor institutions, and builds upon the Alliance for
Young Artists & Writers’ long-standing work with educators and creative teens through the
Scholastic Awards. The Poets’ appointment events are hosted in cooperation with the Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C., and held in conjunction with the National Book Festival.
More information on the NSPP can be found at artandwriting.org/NSPP.
Exhibitions
The Alliance and its regional Affiliates exhibit top works in museums, galleries, and arts
institutions across the country, including the New York City regional exhibition, hosted by
The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the annual Art.Write.Now. National Exhibition, hosted by
Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design; Art.Write.Now.DC, hosted by the United States
Department of Education; and Art.Write.Now.Tour, our nationwide traveling exhibition.
Publications
National Medalists’ works are published in our National Catalog and on the Alliance’s website,
artandwriting.org. Select writing is published in The Best Teen Writing annual anthology.
Workshops
The Alliance works with partners across the country to present workshops led by professional
artists and writers. Recent workshops include Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block
Foundation, Video Game Design sponsored by the ESA Foundation, and Healing & the Arts
sponsored by the New York Life Foundation.
Educator Resources and Opportunities
The Alliance creates guides to help educators facilitate discussions about art and writing in their
classrooms and provide critical-thinking activities. Every summer, the Alliance also partners
with Golden Artist Colors to provide three selected educators the opportunity to participate in a
two-week painting residency at the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation in upstate New York.
Alumni Engagement
The Alliance organizes an annual writers’ residency for two selected alumni of the Scholastic Art
& Writing Awards at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. Alumni may also apply for
Alumni Microgrants—six $1,000 grants that support creative projects.
The Alliance’s alumni programs are informed by the work of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Alumni Council—a select group of professionals who advocate for and champion the arts for
teenagers in diverse communities across the nation, while encouraging other Alumni to remain
connected to the program for unique networking opportunities. The Council advises on alumni
programming, outreach, and workshops, as well as audience development.
08/2018
(Page 3 of 3)
YEAR AT A GLANCE 2018–19
YEAR AT A GLANCE 2018–19
SEPTEMBER
Registration opens for the 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
National Student Poets are appointed in Washington, D.C.
OCTOBER
Free art & writing workshops for teens and outreach at national conferences begins
DECEMBER–JANUARY
350,000* works of original art and writing submitted to more than 100 Affiliate Partners
JANUARY–FEBRUARY
Regional adjudication, exhibitions, ceremonies, and readings
FEBRUARY
National Adjudication
20,000* Gold Key works are reviewed by notable
artists, writers, curators, and educators in New York City
90,000* Regional Awards are presented: Gold Key,
Silver Key, and Honorable Mention
MARCH 12, 2019
National Medalists are notified!
2,800* works receive national recognition
JUNE
National Events in NYC
National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Art.Write.Now.2019 National Exhibition
on display June 2019
JULY–AUGUST
Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarships for
teens to attend creative summer programs
Free art & writing workshops for teens
across the country
*These numbers are approximate, based on numbers from the 2017–18 program year.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Gregory R. Miller, Chairman Steven Merson, Treasurer
Greenhill & Co. Command Web Offset Co.
Dr. William Walker Robinson, Vice Chairman Howard J. Rothman, Secretary
Fogg Art Museum Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Members
Allison Benson Andrew I. Merson
Pretty Matches Productions Command Web Offset Co.
Robert Buchsbaum Olivia Morgan
Dick Blick Art Materials Common Sense Media
Thomas K. Carley Anne Morrill
The New York Times, retired Maurice R. Robinson Fund
Bryan Doerries Suzanne Randolph
Outside the Wire, LLC Suzanne Randolph Fine Arts
Dr. Ernest B. Fleishman Dr. Hugh Roome
Scholastic Inc. Scholastic Inc.
Hugh J. Freund Rebecca Shapiro
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP Shore Fire Media
Nora Halpern Jan Warren
Americans for the Arts Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and
Talent Development, Affiliate Representative
Dwight E. Lee
Gagnon Securities Hannah Yang
The New York Times
Dr. David C. Levy
Objective Focus In Memoriam
Charles C. Bergman (1933–2018)
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc.
08/2018
7%
20%
2018–19
8%
Affiliate Partner Organizations
The Affiliate Partner network of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in communities across
12%
the country.
Colleges and Universities 20% National Writing Project Sites 12%
19% Community-Based Organizations 19% Regional Consortia 8%
15%
Museums and Libraries 18% National Art Education Association
State Chapters 7%
School Districts and Departments
of Education 15%
18%
Colleges and Universities 20% Visual Arts Center of Richmond, VA National Writing Project Sites 12%
Art Academy of Cincinnati, OH West Palm Beach Armory Art Center, FL Boise State Writing Project, ID
Arts Center/Gallery at Delaware Writopia Lab Chicago Area Writing Project, IL
State University, DE Young Emerging Artists, Inc., AK Greater Kansas City Writing Project, MO
Barton College, NC Yuba Sutter Arts, CA Greater New Orleans Writing Project, LA
Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education Hoosier Writing Project at IUPUI, IN
Museums and Libraries 18%
and Talent Development, University of Minnesota Writing Project, MN
Arnot Art Museum, NY
Iowa, IA Northwestern State University
Asheville Art Museum, NC
California University of Pennsylvania, PA Writing Project, LA
Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, VT
Clowes Memorial Hall, Butler Arts Philadelphia Writing Project, PA
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and
Center, IN Red River Valley Writing Project at
Museum of Art, TN
College for Creative Studies, MI NDSU, ND
Community Memorial Museum of
Columbus College of Art & Design, OH The National Writing Project in
Sutter County, CA
Cornish College of the Arts, WA New Hampshire, NH
Everhart Museum of Natural History,
Kansas City Art Institute, KS The Southern Maine Writing Project at
Science and Art, PA
Kendall College of Art and Design, the University of Southern Maine, ME
Fort Wayne Museum of Art, IN
Ferris State University, MI Western PA Writing Project & The
Lancaster Museum of Art, PA
Kent State University at Stark, OH University of Pittsburgh School
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, TN
Maine College of Art, ME of Education, PA
Mississippi Museum of Art, MS
Savannah College of Art and Design, GA
Montclair Art Museum, NJ Regional Consortia 8%
The Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
Plains Art Museum, ND CNY Art Council, NY
The School of the Museum of Fine Arts
South Bend Museum of Art, IN East Central PA Scholastic Art Awards, PA
at Tufts, MA
Springs Preserve, NV Hudson Valley Art Awards, NY
The University of South Dakota, SD
The Milwaukee Art Museum, WI Lorain County Regional Scholastic Arts
Wayland Baptist University and the
The Nevada Museum of Art, NV Committee, OH
Abraham Family Art Gallery, TX
Newark Public Library, NJ Regional Scholastic Awards Council of
Youngstown State University, OH
Young at Art Museum, FL Mid-Central Illinois, IL
Community-Based Organizations 19% Southeast Wisconsin Scholastic Writing
School Districts and Region, WI
Diamond State Branch, National League
of American Pen Women, Inc., DE Departments of Education 15% The Scholastic Art Awards of New
John R. and Eleanor R. Mitchell Arlington County Public Schools, VA Hampshire, NH
Foundation/ Cedarhurst Center Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC Western Kansas Scholastic Art
for the Arts, IL Commonwealth Charter Academy, PA Association, KS
K12 Galley & TEJAS, OH Downers Grove North and
South High Schools, IL National Art Education Association State
MARK Arts, KS Chapters 7%
Miami Writes, FL Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Harris County Department of Art Educators of Minnesota, MN
Pacific Grove Art Center, CA Colorado Art Education Association, CO
Philadelphia Arts in Education Education, TX
Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture Connecticut Art Education Association, CT
Partnership, PA New Mexico Art Education Association, NM
SAY Sí (San Antonio Youth Yes), TX and the Arts, HI
Hillsborough County Public Schools, FL Northeast Florida Art Education
Schack Art Center, WA Association, FL
Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FL Oregon Art Education Association, OR
(SKyPAC), KY Rhode Island Art Education Association, RI
Still Waters Collective, WI Omaha Public Schools Art Department, NE
The Eudora Welty Foundation, MS Pinellas County Schools, FL
The Fine Arts Center for the Sarasota County Schools, FL
New River Valley, VA Seneca Valley School District, PA
St. Stephen's Episcopal School, TX
Year at a Glance
2018–19 Regional Program Coverage
Every U.S. student in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) is eligible to participate in the Scholastic Art &
Writing Awards. The Alliance works with more than 100 Affiliate Partner organizations across the
country to present regional programs that support students and educators through the submission
process, celebrate regional award recipients in local ceremonies, and showcase student work
through exhibitions and publications. Regional programs are based on counties and range in size
from single counties to multi-state areas. Students in Canada, at American schools abroad, and
parts of the country where there is no regional program participate through the Alliance’s
“Region-at-Large” program.
WA
ME
MT ND
OR MN VT
NH
ID WI
M I DWE ST
SD NY MA
W EST
CT
WY MI
RI
NE
IA N O RT H EAST
PA NJ
NV OH MD
UT IL IN DE
CA
CO WV
KS MO VA
KY
S O U T H E AST
TN NC
AZ OK
NM
AR SC
S O U T H WE ST MS AL GA
TX LA
FL
Map created with mapchart.net ©
Regional Coverage Map
Statewide Art & Writing Affiliates The blue outlines represent divisions defined by the National Students
Poets Program, an initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library
Mix of Region-at-Large and Affiliates Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, with support
from the Library of Congress.
Region-at-Large Only
SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS
Scholarship Partners
Through the Scholastic Awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition,
publication, and scholarships. In 2018, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers offered students
more than $300,000 in direct scholarships. Additionally, our Scholarship Partner Network, which
is comprised of partnering colleges, universities, and related scholarship organizations, offered
Scholastic Awards National Medalists nearly $5 million in scholarships.
To learn more about our scholarship partners visit artandwriting.org/scholarship-partners.
Association of Independent Colleges of Art Ringling College of Art & Design
and Design Participating Schools* San Francisco Art Institute
Art Academy of Cincinnati School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Center College of Design School of the Museum of Fine Arts at
California College of the Arts Tufts University
California Institute of the Arts School of Visual Arts
Cleveland Institute of Art University of the Arts
College for Creative Studies Watkins College of Art, Design & Film
Columbus College of Art & Design
Cornish College of the Arts * The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers recognizes
Kansas City Art Institute member colleges of the Association of Independent
Laguna College of Art & Design Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) as the leading non-
profit, art and design colleges in the U.S. and Canada.
Lesley University College of Art & Design
Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts To learn more about AICAD, visit aicad.org
Maine College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art
Additional Scholarship Partners
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Carnegie Mellon University
Memphis College of Art
Kendall College of Art and Design at
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Ferris State University
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Purchase College SUNY, School of
Montserrat College of Art
Art & Design
Moore College of Art & Design
Rochester Institute of Technology,
New Hampshire Institute of Art
College of Imaging Arts & Sciences
Oregon College of Art & Craft
Syracuse University College of Visual +
Otis College of Art and Design
Performing Arts
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Parsons School of Design at The New School
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania College of Art & Design
Pratt Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
(Continued on the reverse side)
SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS (Continued from the reverse side) Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarships The Alliance partners with summer programs to provide merit- and need- based scholarships for students who have received a Gold or Silver Key in the Scholastic Awards. By providing a Scholastic Awards Summer (SAS) Scholarship, programs expand their reach to the Awards’ talented and diverse young artists and writers. Summer programs interested in becoming a SAS Partner should visit artandwriting.org/summerscholarships. Scholastic Awards Summer Partners 92Y’s Young Writers Workshop Belin-Blank Center Cleveland Institute of Art Iowa Young Writers Studio at University of Iowa Jonathan R. Reynolds Young Writers Workshop at Denison University Juniper Institute for Young Writers Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop Minnesota Writing Project Summer Youth Camp Parsons School of Design at The New School Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Pratt Institute Summer Precollege Putney School Summer Arts Ringling College of Art & Design Savannah College of Art & Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts Shared Worlds Camp Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program The University of the Arts The Writers Circle Writopia Lab Young Writers Workshop at the University of Virginia 08/2018
NOTABLE ALUMNI
Notable Alumni
Frances Farmer, 1931 Kay WalkingStick*, 1948 Tom Otterness*, 1970
Actress Artist Sculptor
Bernard Malamud, 1932 John Baldessari*, 1949 David Salle, 1970
Author Artist Painter
Robert McCloskey, 1932 Donald Barthelme, 1949 Ken Burns*, 1971
Author, Illustrator Writer Director, Producer
Jacob Landau, 1933–34 Alan Arkin, 1951 Michael Bierut, ca. 1974
Painter, Printmaker Actor Graphic Designer
Harry Bertoia, 1934, ’36 Red Grooms, 1952 Thane Rosenbaum*, 1976
Designer Artist Professor, Novelist, Activist
Ezra Jack Keats, 1934 Robert Redford, 1954 Rodney Alan Greenblat, 1977
Author, Illustrator Actor, Activist, Director Artist
Hughie Lee-Smith, 1934 Peter S. Beagle, 1955 Richard Linklater, 1978
Artist Author Filmmaker
Truman Capote, ca. 1936 Joyce Carol Oates, 1956 John Currin, 1979
Author Author Artist
Charles White, ca. 1937 Luis Jiménez, 1957–58 Audrey Niffenegger, 1981
Artist Sculptor Author, Illustrator
Richard Avedon, 1941 Mel Bochner*, 1958 Myla Goldberg, 1989
Photographer Artist Author
Philip Pearlstein*, 1941–42 Arnold Hurley, 1962–64 Yolanda Wisher, 1991
Artist Painter Poet
Mozelle Thompson, 1944 Marc Brown*, ca. 1963 Paul Chan*, 1992
Artist Author, Illustrator Artist, Activist
Andy Warhol, ca. 1945 John Lithgow, 1963 Ned Vizzini, 1996
Artist Actor Author
Robert Indiana, 1946 Stephen King, 1965 Lucianne Walkowicz, 1996
Artist Author Astrophysicist
Sylvia Plath, 1947 Donald Lipski*, 1965 Zac Posen*, 1998
Author, Poet Sculptor Fashion Designer
Edward Sorel*, 1947 Joyce Maynard*, 1966–71 Lena Dunham, 1999
Artist Author Actress, Director
Idelle Weber, 1947 Carolyn Forché*, 1967 Erik Madigan Heck, 2001
Artist Poet Photographer
Cy Twombly, 1948 Gary Panter, 1968 Winston Chmielinski, 2006
Artist Artist Artist
John Updike, 1948 Kevin Bales, 1970 Tschabalala Self, 2008
Author Activist Artist
08/2018
* Recipients of the Alliance’s Alumni Achievement Award.The Washington Post
Razan Elbaba tells a story about religion in
her award-winning images
By Jennifer LaRue, April 19, 2016
Razan Elbaba recently made a statement about attitudes toward religion
in the United States, but she didn’t need to say a word.
The 17 year old from Vienna, Virginia, photographed friends and relatives
wearing head scarves that are customary in the Muslim faith. She added
newspaper clippings, bits of cloth and “googly” eyes to tell more of the story.
The striking artwork, which Razan called “Covered,” won the top prize
in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing competition. She was one of 16
students in the nation — out of 320,000 who entered — to win a Golden
Portfolio. She will receive a $10,000 prize at a celebration in June at
Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Razan didn’t think she would win, but she said art teacher Susan Silva
believed the Oakton High School senior’s talent would impress the judges.
“Ms. Silva always told me that I have something special about me, but
I never had the confidence to think that I would be the one” to get a
Golden Portfolio, Razan says. “It was very unexpected.”
Razan explains that she started to stutter when she was 3, not long after
she learned to talk. She says her severe stutter has made it hard for her
to do things that are easy for other kids, “like answer the phone or order
a pizza.”
“Things that were so simple for other people were really hard tasks for
me,” Razan says. “So I was always trying to find ways to express myself”
without having to speak.
When she started high school, Razan says, she “set myself a goal to find a
way to do that.” That’s when she discovered photography.
Razan Elbaba of Vienna, Virginia, cre-
“I found a way to say what I want to say using a camera, not my mouth,” ated artwork to express feelings about
Razan says. wearing the hijab, or Muslim head scarf.
Sometimes she used “googly” eyes to
represent the stares that Muslim women
Silva helped her a lot. “She gave us random stuff and said, ‘Make art.’ ” and girls often receive. (Artwork by
Razan had an idea to take photos of women and girls wearing the hijab, Razan Elbaba)
a head scarf she has worn for five years as part of her religious practice. Razan, who is 17, has been wearing a
People in the United States often stare at girls and women who wear a head scarf for five years as a part of her
hijab, Razan says. Being stared at can make those women and girls feel religious beliefs. (Family photo)
“like alien beings that don’t belong,” she says. In this piece of art, Razan attached
newspaper clippings to a photo of a girl
wearing a hijab. (Artwork by Razan
Elbaba)
(Continued on the reverse side)To help people understand those feelings, Razan began gluing “googly” eyes to some of the photographs. In other photos, she covered the scarf in newspaper articles. “I’ve also always been passionate about social justice,” Razan told Scholastic after winning the Golden Portfolio. “I felt like it was my job to break the stereotypes and significantly express the true goal of Muslim women, which is to spark positive change in this world.” Razan has taken photography classes with Silva all four years of high school. The two have become close. Razan calls Silva “my second mom, my best friend and sometimes even my older sister.” Razan says she plans to use her $10,000 prize to help pay for college, where she is headed in the fall. She hopes to study art. “I hope my work will make people be optimistic and make them not judge others,” Razan says. She wants people to look at her photographs and realize: “We’re all human. We all have a heart and a soul. We are all wanted on this Earth.” Razan is a 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Gold Medal Portfolio Award recipient. To see more press about current and past Scholastic Awards recipients, visit mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.
The New Yorker
Up Life’s Ladder
By Emma Allen, March 24, 2014
Teen Beat
The photographer Andres Serrano’s most famous work is “Piss Christ”
(1987), a picture of a crucifix submerged in the artist’s urine. Its exhibi-
tion launched a crusade by the late senator Jesse Helms to revoke N.E.A.
funding for art he didn’t like. (“He is not an artist. He is a jerk,” Helms
told the Senate.) The other morning, Serrano, now sixty-three, tested a
new method of provocation: he was expected at the headquarters of
Scholastic, Inc., in SoHo, to judge photos submitted by twelfth graders
to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition, and he was late.
“Where’s Andres?” asked Casey Kelbaugh, another judge, a photographer
who runs the nonprofit Slideluck (potlucks featuring art slide shows).
“Maybe we can just start looking at the works?” the third judge, the
gallerist Julie Saul, proposed.
There were twelve hundred and forty-eight images to sort through.
They would be projected on a screen at the front of a very red room:
red carpet, red U-shaped table, red chairs—décor inspired by Clifford
the Big Red Dog. Following an elimination round, thirty-seven to forty-
six of the photographs would be awarded gold medals and sixty-two to
eighty-seven silver, based on originality, technical skill, and “emergence
of personal vision.”
“Sorry I’m late,” Serrano said as he slunk in. He had on a white tuxedo
shirt with a popped collar, a black vest, and sweatpants tucked into black
Alexander McQueen boots.
A moderator clicked through JPEGs of the photographs. “There’s an
Ophelia thing going on here,” Saul said, after the third or fourth image of
a soggy woman.
“It’s just so high school,” Kelbaugh said, approvingly, of a photograph of
a young man, his mouth stuffed with fries, getting hit in the face with a
burger and soda next to a McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” logo. “He’s got a big
advertising career ahead of him.” (Gold.)
An image of a dead squirrel with a bouquet of flowers in its paws and a
cherry stuffed in its mouth elicited laughter. “I always say, if art can be
Above:
good and funny, that’s really great,” Saul said. (Silver.)
Flowers In Her Hair
Serrano and Saul gasped at a sepia image of a wrinkly puppy. “Well, he’s Anna Jennings
adorable,” Saul said.
I'm Lovin' It
“All those folds!” Serrano whispered. (Gold.) Sami Alam
A Christmas-card-ready group portrait depicted a gaggle of young men in A Vulture's Thanksgiving Feast
clingy sweaters. “I think that it has no irony, which is really disturbing,” Jessica Lineman
Saul said. “Do you think he got them all dressed up as preppies and did
this whole staging thing? Or do you think they’re just hanging out in their Julius
house?” (Gold.) Acadia Mezzofanti
(Continued on the reverse side)Maurice Robinson, the founder of Scholastic Magazines, established
the awards in 1923, for writing. There are now twenty-eight categories,
including video-game design, comic art, and fashion. Past winners have
included Sylvia Plath and Robert Redford, both for paintings; Richard
Avedon, for a poem (“You must not think because my glance is quick . . .
That I shall never total up to much”); Andy Warhol; and Lena Dunham.
“This is totally Cindy Sherman, but it’s good,” Saul said of a photograph
of a woman in fifties clothing.
“It’s as good as a Cindy,” Serrano said. “Certainly as good as any Cindy
Sherman I’ve ever seen.” (Gold.)
When Serrano was seventeen, he enrolled in the Brooklyn Museum Art
School. “It was some of the best time of my life,” he recalled. “I remember
I did a conceptual piece—it was a column, and I covered it with obituary
columns from the Times. I called it ‘Obituary Column.’ ”
“High school was a complete desert for me artistically,” Kelbaugh said.
“I went to a public inner-city school in Seattle. The arts were abysmal,
except for, like, jazz band.” Saul, who grew up in Tampa, Florida, said, “I
really never did anything very creative. I made a lot of beaded necklaces.”
“Something is bothering me,” Serrano said. “There’s an image that I
wanted to look at again that’s just in my head.” He went on, “I mean, if
it’s lost, it’s lost . . .”
“We just ruined his life. Or hers,” Saul joked.
“It was the image of soldiers,” Serrano said. “And I feel that soldiers can
be a cliché. It can also be sort of passé to take a political stance. But
visually it was a good image, and I regret not speaking up for it. There’s
no dishonor in recognizing people who die for your country, even though
I’m not a Vietnam vet—I avoided the draft in the sixties.” The moderator Above:
pulled up the photograph: in color, rows of soldiers wearing fatigues,
Family Photo 1
observed from behind.
Maxwell Franklin
“I see hearts in the way that they’re holding their hands,” Kelbaugh
Playing Housewife
offered. “Is that corny?”
Katharine Milbradt
“You know what the hands are also like?” Saul asked. “I hate to say it, it’s
Our Troops
so morbid. They’re like wings, like seraphs.”There was a unanimous vote
Rebecca Bishop
for gold. Serrano smiled.
“It was one of those things that I didn’t want to regret forever,” he said.
To see more press about current and past Scholastic Awards recipients, visit
mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.The Wall Street Journal
Big Picture for a 17-Year-Old Scholastic Art &
Writing Awards Winner
Ralph Gardner Jr. Meets Steven Paul, a 12th-Grader
at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn
By Ralph Gardner Jr., June 17, 2014
If I were somehow 17 years old again and a photograph I took was selected a
winner of the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and was painted giant-
size onto the side of a building in Williamsburg, I can think of lots of ways I’d
try to leverage the recognition.
Such is the fortuitous situation that Steven Paul, a 17-year-old 12th-grader
at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, finds himself in with “Lost
Time,” an arresting photographic portrait of classmate Nina Attal.
For starters, I’d try to attract the attention of girls who had heretofore denied
me the time of day: “Hey, feel like checking out my artwork? No, it’s not in my
apartment. It’s in Brooklyn and you can see it from outer space.”
Or better yet, we’d just happen to walk by the spot, at Bedford and Broadway,
on a first date: “Yeah, that’s mine. No big deal. I couldn’t care less about the
recognition, even if it’s the size of the Nasdaq electronic billboard in Times
Square. For me, it’s all about the process.”
I’d also use it in arguments with my parents: “Obviously, I must be doing
something right. Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Truman Capote, Sylvia
Plath, Ken Burns and Lena Dunham won the award, too. And they didn’t
have curfews.”
Finally, I’d host events at the site. There’s a lovely set of chairs and tables on
a traffic island that’s a perfect viewing distance from the artwork. Part of
the joy of being a high school senior in New York City, especially one who’s
already been accepted to college, is that the spring and summer of senior year
is all gravy.
(Continued on the reverse side)I wouldn’t try to cause any trouble. Or even litter. But it would be kind of
neat if the cops pulled up at 3 a.m. and asked what I was doing, and I could
glance over my shoulder and say, “Having an opening.”
As impressive as Mr. Paul’s accomplishment is—and even more so Scholastic’s
decision to honor him with a wall mural of heroic proportions—I fear he’s
not taking full advantage of the opportunity.
“I brought a few” of his friends to see it, the photographer explained non-
chalantly when I met him in front of “Lost Time” a few days ago. “They’ve
come to see it on their own. They’ve tagged me on Instagram.”
Mr. Paul seemed appropriately humbled by the recognition. However, the
photograph of his classmate won’t be there forever. Colossal Media, the
company that hand-painted it, changes the art every so often.
Also, when you’re 17 you might have a tendency to think this is just the
beginning. That there may be even larger-format photographs in your
future. I’m just saying—as talented and charmingly awe-struck as the young
man seems—this could be as big, literally, as it gets. Seize the moment.
That goes for Ms. Attal, too. She might want to lead tour groups of Europeans
desperate to partake of Brooklyn culture, and charge a small fortune to let
them know what she was thinking at the moment the image was shot.
“She was thinking at the time, ‘I was really upset with you for not letting me
take my bangs out of my face,’” Mr. Paul revealed. “She was just here earlier.
She’s still shocked. It’s weird to have your face that big anywhere.”
The photographer said he started shooting Ms. Attal, also 17, at school
during a free period. “I get them to sit for a really long time,” he said of his
subjects. “After a while they get tired and irritable: ‘I don’t want to do it
anymore.’ They’re distracted. They’re thinking about other things.
Generally, towards the end of the sessions I get that honesty and emotion.”
Mr. Paul’s mother, Donna, admits she was surprised by her son’s
recognition—Steven decided to enter the competition at the last moment,
the deadline literally minutes away—not to mention its monumentality. But
she isn’t surprised by his determination.
“As a child, he was mature beyond his years,” she explained. “He’s a hard
worker. When I’m sleeping, he’s up.”
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, established in 1923, received more
than 255,000 submissions in 2014. National medalists such as Mr. Paul, who
will be attending Occidental College in California, are also eligible for some
of the quarter-million dollars in scholarships the organization distributes
annually. (They also receive an attractive gold medal.) Five-hundred sev-
enth- to 12th-graders, as well as their parents and teachers, were recognized
at a Carnegie Hall ceremony on June 6.
For Mr. Paul, the most important aspect of the attention may be that he’s
having an easier time getting people to pose for him. “People were like, ‘Is it
going to take a long time?’ They’re a lot more open to the process. ‘Are you
To see more press about current and
going to put me on a billboard? Oh my god! You can make me famous.’ “
past Scholastic Awards recipients,
—ralph.gardner@wsj.com visit mediaroom.scholastic.com/
artandwriting.Vice
Bronx Student Photographers Win Awards for
Documenting Their Communities
By Marina Garcia-Vasquez, March 26, 2018
High school students from the Bronx Junior Photo League spotlight social
justice issues in their own backyards.
The Bronx Junior Photo League (BJPL) is a free after-school photography
and journalism program serving middle and high school students. Since
2013, the BJPL has been teaching Bronx youth how to document their
communities, families, and environment, while focusing on social justice
issues in the South Bronx, which is historically a deteriorating and
poverty-stricken area. The curriculum intends to give students technical
and storytelling photography skills and promote community engagement,
critical thinking, and news literacy.
Students from this program learn to tell powerful youth-led narratives of
family lineage, immigration, and burgeoning adulthood through portraits
and video vignettes. Their exploration of truth is refreshingly colorful
and self-aware. This year five BJPL high school students—Mitchell Dennis,
Fanta Diop, Janet Lozano, Chloe Rodriguez, and Angie Avenaño—received
high honors from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The top three
winners will go on to show their portraits at a five-day exhibition at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In seeing their collective works, there is great promise for these students
to develop their eye as career artists and journalists. But more impor-
tantly, says Bianca Farrow, the education manager for the program,
the students get ongoing support and guidance to pursue college. We
asked Farrow a few more questions about what she looks for in potential
students and how photography skills help students gain an edge in their
professional lives.
VICE: How do you select student participants [for the] program?
Bianca Farrow: Students are required to submit an application and letter
of recommendation from a teacher or mentor. We look for students who
are interested in the visual arts and documenting their community.
Students we accept often do not have prior experience with photography,
but show a proactive interest in our program.
What is the first thing you teach them about photography?
The first thing we teach our Bronx Junior Photo League students is how
to be aware of the world around them. They learn how to find images in
the details, faces, and landscapes of their neighborhood, and eventually
how to tell a story using those photos.
From top to bottom:
West African Bridal Shower by Fanta Diop, 9th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League
My Mom in Mexico, 2016 by Janet (Julie) Lozano, 12th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League
Women on Subway by Janet (Julie) Lozano, 12th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League
Jillian at School by Mitchell Dennis, 12th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League
Phillipe Outside of a Church by Mitchell Dennis, 12th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League
(Continued on the reverse side)Is your goal to train a new generation of professional photographers? Throughout their time in the Bronx Junior Photo League, students become critical thinkers, writers, image-makers, and educated consumers of the media. The goals of our program are not only to teach photographic skills, but to empower them to become active participants in their communities and to give them a platform to address social justice issues in the South Bronx. Our innovative curriculum is geared to prepare students with the visual, writing, communications, and leadership skills they will need in their school and professional lives. Do you find that more high school students apply for art colleges or programs after participating in your program? One of our graduating seniors, Janet (Julie) Lozano, will be attending NYU Tisch School for the Arts for filmmaking in the fall, and one of our other students, Tony Baizan, was just accepted into the 2018 New York Times portfolio review. Other students are very serious about pursuing careers in photography and journalism. We have also supported many of our middle school students in applying to arts-based high schools in New York City. From top to bottom: My Uncle and His Daughter by Fanta Diop, 9th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League Portrait of Boy in Light by Angie Avendañdo, 11th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League Rosary by Chloe Rodriguez, 9th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League Police Officer in Third Ave by Chloe Rodriguez, 9th Grade/Bronx Junior Photo League To see more press about current and past Scholastic Awards recipients, visit mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.
The Riverdale Press
Fieldston painter takes home gold for work
featuring Bronx
By Simone Johnson, March 23, 2018
Maya Dixon joins 15 other high school
What do Stephen King, Sylvia Plath and Lena Dunham all have in common? seniors from across the country as a
As students they were all chosen by the Alliance for Young Artists and Gold Medalist in the 95th annual
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In the
Writers for its Scholastic Art and Writing Award. past, luminaries like Andy Warhol and
Sylvia Plath have won Gold Medals in the
Just like Maya Dixon. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Out of more than 346,000 works of art and writing submitted for the
award, Dixon joined just 15 others as gold medal portfolio winners. In
addition to the gold medal, the Ethical Culture Fieldston School senior
also received a $10,000 scholarship from the alliance for her “Essence of
Soul” collection, which included illustrative paintings exploring the spirit
of the Bronx community.
“A lot of my art is about what I am used to and what I am around at
school and that contrast,” Dixon said. “I mean, I try to represent people
that look like me or are around me. Representation is important to me Much of Maya Dixon's art is inspired
because there was this woman that was like ‘wow, this is so cool, I can by life in the Bronx, like public trans-
really relate to this,’ because she saw the 5 train in my piece.” portation. A senior at Ethical Culture
Fieldston School, Dixon took home the
gold medal at the 95th Scholastic Art
Artists like Njideka Crosby, Kerry James Marshall and Toyin Ojih Odutola & Writing Awards, which includes a
also inspire her to include persons of color at the forefront of her art. $10,000 scholarship, for her portfolio
'Essence of Soul.'
Growing up in Pelham, Dixon identifies with her father’s Liberian side of
the family more, although her mother is a native of Mauritius Island in
the Indian Ocean. Throughout her life her father has encouraged Dixon
to see the value in her community and support where she comes from.
“My dad always insists that I go to the local hair braiding place instead
of the gentrified parts of Harlem to get my hair done,” Dixon said. “He
always emphasizes supporting local Bronx people.”
In one of Dixon’s paintings, “Catch The Flava,” she drew a vendor and
his icy cart, someone more commonly known to Bronx children as the
“coco man.”
“It’s a simple painting, but it highlights an experience I always had when
my bus driver would let us get off the bus and would let us buy from
him,” Dixon said. “I feel like you can’t live in the Bronx and not see that.”
Dixon also touched on simple Bronx style and local uptown transit
through her painting “The Boogie Down.” She drew a girl with gold Family life and heritage informs Maya
Dixon's work. With her home in the
bamboo earrings riding on what can easily be indentified as the 2 or
Bronx and ancestral roots in Liberia,
5 train. Dixon paints from experience.
(Continued on the reverse side)Part of Dixon’s process includes listening to old music, trying to find the balance between her message and the art itself. This is her first time painting an illustrative style, and using that mode has allowed her to work in more of a freer form. Dixon enjoys using the gouache paint in her art because of its chalk feel and matte finish. This mode allows Dixon to pull away from the idea of perfection, and as a result, finds her work to be more expressive and gratifying. Like all artists, Dixon’s style has evolved over the years. “In the beginning I was making art that I thought people wanted to see, and I was making very technical portraits that were really nicely rendered and focused on the technical aspect rather than the message behind it,” Dixon said. “It can be hard to think about the message compared to how well you do something. And the more I let go of that idea, the more success I found.” Dixon has submitted to the Alliance contest every year since the seventh grade, but she never received national recognition for her work until this year. As a Gold Medal Portfolio recipient, Dixon’s work will be displayed in the Art Write Now 2018 National Exhibition on June 7 at Carnegie Hall. She’ll also participate in a week-long celebration in her honor. Dixon plans to attend the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art after she finishes high school. “It’s an art school so I’m excited,” the 17-year-old said. “I plan to be an artist or a creative director for musicians, or a curator for a museum. As long as I can still make art and make money.” Maya is a 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Gold Medal Portfolio Award recipient. To see more press about current and past Scholastic Awards recipients, visit mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.
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