Simsbury Students Excel in Scholastic Art Awards

Submitted release

The Simsbury Public Schools’ Visual Arts Department is thrilled to announce that 19 Simsbury students were selected to receive honors in the Annual Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards. The artwork will be on exhibit through January 31, 2014 at the Silpe Gallery, University of Hartford. This is a juried art competition, open to students at the middle and high school level, and judged by distinguished practicing artists and university-level art educators. The five art students that received gold keys will have an opportunity to have their artwork judged at the national level.

The 2014 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards exhibition features select work from 130 participating Connecticut schools in grades 7-12. Selected from over 1,500 total art entries, 623 works were accepted for exhibit at the University of Hartford. From that accepted number, there were 182 Gold key awards (including 40 Gold portfolios), 152 Silver keys and 289 Honorable Mention awards granted. The winners will be recognized at the Scholastics Art Award Celebration on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford, where master ceramic artist, Guy Wolff, will be a guest speaker.

According to Cindy Parsons, Supervisor of Art Education in Simsbury, the success of Simsbury’s students in this program is due to the exceptional instruction given to students in art education throughout their elementary and secondary years, and to the diverse art course offerings at Simsbury High School.

Said Parsons, “This celebration of student achievement in visual art is a testament to the commitment of Simsbury’s art teachers and the support of its administrators. Art education in Simsbury Public Schools is a respected and valued program, offering our students opportunities for learning in two dimensional, three dimensional, and design processes. The facilities at the high school are exceptional and encourage student growth and success in traditional studios, while providing an environment that encourages student exploration in non-traditional areas of interest such as digital art, film, apparel and design.”

Added Parsons, “Additionally, students enrolled in the Simsbury Arts Academy, through the Department of Continuing Education, participate in opportunities to further their visual art education. This program brought recognition to several students again this year in the Scholastics Exhibition. I am very proud of our students for their accomplishments and of the art teachers who make this opportunity possible.”

The exhibition is sponsored by the Connecticut Art Education Association and the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford. An awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theater on the University of Hartford campus.

The following award winners represented Simsbury High School:

(Note: Art teachers appear in parentheses.)

Erica Chapman, grade 12, Honorable Mention, Photography (Cindy Parsons)

Tim Gaffey, grade 12, Silver Key, Sculpture (David Holzman)

Janet Galvin, grade 12, Gold Key, Digital Art (Megan Antosik)

Abby Leighton, grade 11, Silver Key, Drawing (Thea Ciciotte)

Sarah Mango, grade 10, Honorable Mention, Ceramics (Shannon Gagne)

Emma Moran, grade 11, Gold Key, Jewelry Design (Shannon Gagne)

Jessica Shin, grade 9, Honorable Mention, Digital Art (Emily Ortmann)

Christopher Stumper, grade 12, Gold Key Portfolio, University of Hartford Art School Scholarship (Cindy Parsons)

Brenna Sullivan, grade 12, Gold Key Portfolio, University of Hartford Art School Scholarship (Shannon Gagne)

Emma Taylor, grade 12, Honorable Mention, Painting (Thea Ciciotte)

The following award winners represented Henry James Memorial School:

Katie Galt, grade 7, Silver Key, Panther Landscape, Drawing (Laurel Archambault)

Nicholas Hayes, grade 8, Honorable Mention, Abstract Walrus, Sculpture (Stephanie Lauretano)

Katherine O'Connell, grade 7, Silver Key, Fantasy Fish, Sculpture (Laurel Archambault)

Adele Rossignol, grade 7, Honorable Mention, Fawn In The Landscape, Drawing (Laurel Archambault)

Gregory Rowland, grade 8, Silver Key, Soar, Digital Art, (Stephanie Lauretano)

Jessica Zambuto, grade 7, Honorable Mention, Lion Print, Printmaking (Laurel Archambault)

The following award winners represented the Simsbury Arts Academy:

Elise Hildebrandt, grade 8, Honorable Mention, Garnet Evening Gown, Fashion (Cindy Rehm)

Abigail Mundt, grade 8, Honorable Mention, Midnight Evening Gown, Fashion (Cindy Rehm)

Isabelle Randall, grade 8, Gold Key, Out On The Town, Fashion (Cindy Rehm)

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