Julienne Salazar, a Hugoton freshman art student, was a competitor in the Western Kansas Scholastic Art competition at Montezuma back in January of 2020. Her digital art design titled “Trapped” won what is known as a Gold Key Award at this local level art competition, as well as winning one of five Top Best of Show Awards known as the American Vision Award.
As a result of this, Julienne’s digital work went on to compete at the National level in New York City. This is the highest level of competition in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards show for art students in all 50 states.
Julienne is one of four National winners in the last 15 years to accomplish this feat. Her work will be displayed in various professional galleries, and published in the Scholastic Art and Writing Catalogue and on the Scholastic Art and Writing website for the competition year 2020.
In 2020 students submitted nearly 340,000 works of art and writing to the Scholastic Awards.
Submissions are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
Students receiving Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions, or American Voices & Visions Nominations are celebrated within their communities through local exhibitions and ceremonies. Gold Key works are then judged nationally by an impressive panel of creative–industry experts to receive National Medals, including Gold Medals, Silver Medals, American Voices & Visions Medals, Gold Medal and Silver with Distinction Portfolio Medals, and Special Achievement Awards. National Medalists are recognized in part at the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
In past years, students would travel in person to the awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year the awards ceremony will be a virtual awards ceremony for all winning artists to be a part of online June 4 at 6:00 p.m. eastern standard time, 5:00 p.m. central standard time. Medals and awards will be sent out after the conclusion of the ceremony.
“I’ve taught Julienne in art for several years now. She demonstrates a natural ability to create freely and independently in everything she does in art class. She explores materials, ideas, and always creates to her full potential above and beyond. She has an innate natural ability to observe, focus and bring to life her ideas with her natural and instinctive abilities. Her digital art that won in this competition is an example of this gift. She is a wonderful art student that I am honored to work with each and every day. I am proud of her in this being one of the highest of accomplishments that one can achieve in the USD 210 art program. She has become not only accomplished at our level locally, but is now a nationally recognized artist and this award is well deserved as a result of her endeavours in the art program.” said Mr. Terrill
“Although with this challenging time and Scholastics having to cancel the awards ceremony in New York, I am still glad they will be having a virtual awards ceremony, and the award is just as important nonetheless and very well celebrated and recognized with true dignity and acknowledgment.” concluded Mr Terrill.
