Two Young Montclair Artists Win Silver and Gold

Katie Charney and Walker Walls Tarver, both high school juniors, have recently won art awards from the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition. 

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have been around since the 1920s and past winners have included Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates.

Entries are typically sent in through a student’s teacher and in this case both young women had their work submitted their high school art teachers, Charney, from Newark Academy, Walls Tarver from Montclair High School.  The winning pieces were created in local artist/teacher Fern Bass’s studio where both Charney and Walls Tarver have studied for years.

Charney won the Silver Key award for a charcoal on paper drawing.  “Katie’s work is highly textural and full of emotion. It has been so exciting to see her grow and become more and more painterly and expressive. She has grown to be an accomplished draftsman, and is breaking into new territory this year using wax and oil stick on paper,” says Bass, who says she tries to push students to try new techniques.

Walls Tarver’s abstract piece, done in ink and wash on paper, won the Gold Key award, the highest level of achievement on the regional level. 

“Walker’s work is innovative and highly experimental. She has a wonderful connection to her intuition and follows her creative trajectories into new territory with great ease and flow. She is always coming up with exciting juxtapositions and uniquely conceptual works that reflect her strong sense of individuality,” says Bass.

The Gold Key award are forwarded to the national level for further competition and will be part of an exhibition at Parson’s School of Design. 

Charney’s work will be featured in a show called Fresh Perspectives, A Juried High School Art Exhibition at the Morris Museum, May 12 - June 12, 2011.