Student Artists Celebrated by the Fine Arts Center
Award winners from the Southwest Virginia Region for the Scholastic Art Awards were celebrated at a reception and an awards ceremony at the Center and the historic Pulaski Theatre.
On Sunday, March 27, students and their families along with art teachers from across Southwest Virginia were honored at a Reception and Awards Ceremony held in combination at the Fine Arts Center and the historic Pulaski Theatre. The event culminated the annual arts competition that celebrates student artists from grades 7-12. The Fine Arts Center is the affiliate for Southwest Virginia, which includes students in school divisions, home schools, and virtual programs from 23 counties and the independent towns and cities within them from across the region.
Executive Director, Becky Lattuca, hosted the celebration and introduced a panel of three emerging and established artists and art teachers. The panel included Jennifer Hand from the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech; Professor of Graphic Design from Radford University, Ken Smith; and emerging artist and soon-to-be MFA student at Radford University, Zach Blevins-Goad. The artists shared stories from their career journeys as well as advice for the young artists who are considering art as a career or an avocation.
A complete list of regional winners is available on our website. The culmination of the ceremony included acknowledgement of the five American Visions Nominees, the top five student art awards selected from across all available categories. In addition, two winners from Southwest Virginia were recognized for winning Gold Medals at the national level. National Gold Medal winners include:
Mary Wissinger, 8th grade student at Cave Spring Middle School, Roanoke for her drawing “Feline Contemplation.” Jima Bousquet is her art teacher.
Trent Hollandsworth, Freshman student at Radford High School for his painting “Lonely Crowds.” Savannah Leeman is his art teacher.
Trent Hollandsworth from Radford High School and Mary Wissinger from Cave Spring Middle School, national Gold Medal Winners in the Scholastic Awards, are honored at the Southwest Virginia regional celebration
“Feline Contemplation” by Mary Wissiner, national Gold Medal Winner
“Lonely Crowds” by Trent Hollandsworth, national Gold Medal Winner