WHS students recognized for their art work at state level in annual contest

Post date: Jan 21, 2015 6:54:29 PM

According to Wells High School Art teacher Vanessa White-Capelluti, seven of her students (six seniors and one junior) have placed and/or received honorable mention in the annual Region 1 Scholastic Art Awards Contest for 2015, a contest sponsored and hosted at the state level by the Maine College of Art in Portland.

Senior Brooke Nucci received two Silver Key awards, one in the Digital Art category and the other in the Printmaking category. Her work, along with the art work of other Silver and Gold Key winners from Maine, is now on display at the Maine College of Art in Portland until February 7^th.

“It is always nice to have students' work recognized by an outside panel of artists,” commented White-Capelluti. “These awards will give them confidence and direction moving forward toward their AP exams.”

The WHS students receiving the distinction of Honorable Mention include Brooke Nucci in the Portfolio category (photography and design), Allison Beecher “Drawing”, Bethany Berger “Digital Design”, Sarah Berger “Portfolio (photography and design)” and “Digital Art”, Briauna Doughty “Portfolio (photography)” and “Photography”, Olivia Holdsworth “Printmaking” and “Drawing” and Reed Norton “Portfolio (photography)”.

“As a competition, it’s a little different because it is not just about the merits of their work,” commented White-Capelluti about the uniqueness of the contest. “In some cases they (her students) might have been competing against each other.” White-Capelluti added that the categorization of an entry is based upon the media used and that only seniors are eligible to enter a body of their work into the Portfolio category. “Several of the students were recognized in this category. I think that is a real accomplishment.”

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were founded in 1923. “…the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the longest running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers in the U.S.” (source: www.scholastic.com)

According to White-Capelluti, the Maine College of Art picks a panel of judges to determine Gold and Silver Key winners plus honorable mentions.

Caption: In the front row (l to r) are Brooke Nucci, Reed Norton, and Allison Beecher. In the back row (l to r) are Sarah Berger, Olivia Holdsworth, Briauna Doughty, and Bethany Berger.