Simsbury Students Excel in Scholastic Art

The Simsbury Public Schools’ Visual Arts Department is thrilled to announce that seventeen Simsbury students were selected to receive honors in the Annual Connecticut Scholastic Art Award Program held January 18 to February 6, 2015 at the Silpe Gallery, University of Hartford.

The program is a juried art competition and exhibition open to students at the middle and high school level and judged by distinguished practicing artists and university level art educators. The eight art students that received gold keys will have an opportunity to have their artwork judged at the national level.

The 2015 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards exhibition features select work from 130 participating Connecticut schools in grades 7-12. Selected from over 2,000 total art entries, 665 works will be on exhibit at the University of Hartford.

The winners were recognized at the Scholastics Art Award Celebration on Sunday, January 25th at the Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford.

According to Cynthia White Rehm, Supervisor of Art Education in Simsbury, the school district’s success 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 Rehm, “Art education in Simsbury Public Schools offers students an opportunity for depth of study in two dimensional, three dimensional, and design processes. The facilities at the high school are exceptional and truly support instruction as well as grow newer areas of student interest such as film, apparel and product design. Additionally, the Simsbury Arts Academy provides students the opportunity to further their visual art education and has brought recognition to several students in this year’s Scholastics Exhibition.”

Added Rehm, “I am very proud of our students for their accomplishments and the art teachers who make this opportunity available to them.”

The exhibition is sponsored by the Connecticut Art Education Association and the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford. All winners can be viewed on the Simsbury Public Schools’ district website at www.simsbury.k12.ct.us.

The following students represented Simsbury High School:
Madeleine Gastonguay, Fashion – Gold Key/CAEA American Visions Nominee/Best in Fashion (Jerry’s Artarama of CT), Teacher David Holzman
Zeke Hodkin, Sculpture – Honorable Mention, Teacher David Holzman
Audrey Owusu, Painting – Honorable Mention, Teacher Emily Ortmann
Lauren Potter, Painting – Silver Key, Teacher Emily Ortmann
Kate Mulvey, Photography – Honorable Mention, Teacher Megan Antosik
Rowan Ogilvie, Art Portfolio – Gold Key, Teacher Megan Antosik
Grace Ryan, Photography – Honorable Mention, Teacher Megan Antosik
Sean Irwin, Art Portfolio – Gold Key/Hartford Art School Scholarship/Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Scholarship, Teacher Thea Ciciotte
Sean Irwin, Drawing and Illustration – Gold Key, Teacher Thea Ciciotte
Josephine Black, Art Portfolio – Gold Key/Hartford Art School Scholarship, Teacher Shannon Gagne
Emma Moran, Art Portfolio – Gold Key, Teacher Shannon Gagne
The following students represented Henry James Memorial School:
Trey Albani, Sculpture – Silver Key, Teacher Laurel Archambault
Angelina Alessandrini, Printmaking – Silver Key, Teacher Laurel Archambault
Jackson Bulger, Sculpture – Gold Key/CAEA Arnini Awards: Best in Sculpture, Teacher Laurel Archambault
Amanda Derway, Sculpture – Gold Key, Teacher Stephanie Lauretano
Kailei Lemis, Sculpture – Silver Key, Teacher Stephanie Lauretano
The following students represented the Simsbury Arts Academy:
Sophia Firestone, Fashion – Gold Key, Teachers Cynthia White Rehm/Katarina Szekelyova-McKinney
Abigail Mundt, Fashion – Honorable Mention, Teachers Cynthia White Rehm/Katarina Szekelyova-McKinney

Photo: Sophia Firestone’s Gold Key fashion design (SAA Teachers Cindy Rehm/Katarina Szekelyova-McKinney)