Twelve Wells-Ogunquit art students place in regional level of national contest

Post date: Apr 02, 2020 12:7:59 PM

According to the Wells High School Art Department, 12 WHS students have won 18 awards in the 2020 Maine Region Scholastic Art Awards competition. They received awards in the following categories: Art Portfolio, Ceramics, Digital Art, Drawing & Illustration, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture. This year over 1,000 Maine students entered this regional competition, a first step in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards founded in 1923.

Both WHS Art teachers Emily Knight and Meredith Radford had students who received these awards. The students and the awards that they received are as follows: Lilly Arbelo - Silver Key in Drawing & Illustration; Trevor Bickford - Honorable Mention in Jewelry; Nathan Dedeo - Gold Key in Jewelry and Silver Key in Jewelry; Ash Dolan - Gold Key in Mixed Media; Abigail Durost - Honorable Mention for Portfolio (collection of 8 works), two Honorable Mentions in Digital Art, and Honorable Mention in Painting; Matthew Elderkin - Honorable Mention in Ceramics & Glass; Natalie Hanagan - Honorable Mention in Photography and Honorable Mention in Drawing & Illustration; Katie Plourde - Honorable Mention in Sculpture; Nora Stevens - Honorable Mention in Ceramics & Glass; Alyssa Wallingford - Silver Key in Ceramics & Glass; Gwen Wallingford - Honorable Mention for Portfolio (collection of 8 works), and Savanah Wilder - Gold Key in Sculpture and Honorable Mention in Sculpture. Nathan Dedeo and Trevor Bickford are art students of Meredith Radford. The other 10 are art students of Emily Knight.

Gold and Silver Key art works will be on display at the Maine College of Art in Portland from Monday, March 2nd to Saturday, March 14th. The work of Gold Key recipients Nathan Dedeo, Ash Dolan, and Savanah Wilder will advance to the national level of competition.

According to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards website, “…the Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated.”

From left to right: Trevor Bickford (Grade 10), Nora Stevens (Grade 11), Natalie Hanagan (Grade 11), Lilly Arbelo (Grade 11), Ash Dolan (Grade 12), Gwen Wallingford (Grade 12), Alyssa Wallingford (Grade 12), Matthew Elderkin (Grade 12), Abigail Durost (Grade 12), Savanah Wilder (Grade 12), and Katie Plourde (Grade 12). Missing from photo: Nathan Dedeo (Grade 12).