Record-setting art from Notre Dame's upper division includes a "best of show."
Notre Dame junior and American Vision award winner Sophia Shick had her artwork, “Self-Portrait with Falcon,” published on the cover of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program.
Sandy LewAllen, Notre Dame’s art chair, said she was super proud to watch the NDP artists accept the school-record 45 Scholastic Art Awards on stage at the DFT.
Shick received the American Vision Award from this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition.
A public exhibit of all the artwork, which has been mounted at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, also opened last night. The exhibit is held annually at CCS and features approximately 1,100 works of art displayed throughout all four levels of the college’s Walter B. Ford II Building.
The 45 pieces of art by Notre Dame student artists that earned awards from the Southeastern Michigan Region of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition represents a new record for the school.
LewAllen said Shick’s artwork that received the American Vision Award means her piece was chosen as the “Best of Show” from all of the artwork entered in this year’s Southeastern Michigan regional competition.
More than 5,000 pieces of art from the region were entered in this year's competition and NDP earned 13 Gold Keys, the highest possible distinction in the annual art awards, which was started in the early 20th century by New York City-based Scholastic Corporation. In addition, 16 Gold Keys, 16 Silver Keys and 13 Honorable Mentions were earned by Notre Dame student-artists.
Notre Dame’s Gold Key winners will now be submitted for national adjudication by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. National Gold and Silver Medal winning students and their teachers receive national recognition, and are invited to attend the exhibit in New York and award ceremony at Carnegie Hall.
Scholastic’s Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. Over the years, the awards have grown to become the longest-running, most prestigious program for creative teens in the U.S., and the nation’s largest source of scholarships for creative young artists and writers. A noteworthy roster of past winners includes Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King and John Updike.
The complete list of Southeastern Michigan Regional competition award winners is here.
All of Notre Dame's winning artwork is posted here.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.