On Jan. 22, 2021, the Scholastic Art Awards were released for this year’s annual art competition, with three Northwood students–Ella Sullivan, Jade Schneider and Lily Jordan–receiving awards. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists, a non-profit organization that offers students an opportunity to showcase their best literary and artistic work to the public and win scholarships. Each year, hundreds of students across the U.S. submit entries in 29 different categories–from poetry to photography–hoping to share their work with the world.
Ella Sullivan, a Northwood senior who received an honorable mention for her piece titled, “North Topsail I,” has been entering artwork since her sophomore year of high school.
“I always love having an opportunity to share my art,” said Sullivan.
Inspired by an original photograph taken at North Topsail this past summer, “North Topsail I” was created using fabric application and embroidery. Happy with the recognition she has received on her piece after having entered several in this year’s competition, Sullivan’s work also holds sentimental value.
“‘North Topsail I’ is important to me because it was my first piece of senior year,” said Sullivan. “My artistic ability also progressed a lot with this piece which I am very happy about.”
For many students, it’s the desire to progress with their art that pushes them to enter competitions like the Scholastic Art Awards. Northwood junior Jade Schneider, who was awarded both a gold key and an honorable mention for two digital art pieces, entered the competition for motivation.
“I wanted to join the Scholastic Art competition since I really wanted to challenge myself,” said Schneider. “Sometimes during the pandemic, it can be especially difficult to find motivation.”
Schneider is well-versed in digital art and spends a majority of her free time creating new artwork online. Her piece that won a gold key–equivalent to the highest honor a student can receive for a submission–was a digitally-created portrait of her and her mother, titled “Reno, 2004.” She feels a special connection with the portrait.
“The pieces I submitted I was particularly fond of, since they all had a connection to something important to me,” Schneider said. “The piece that won gold is based off a photo I have up in my room, and I made it for my mom as a surprise for Christmas. The piece really means a lot to me.”
Similar to Schneider, Northwood sophomore Lily Jordan’s submission also has a deeper meaning. Jordan was awarded an honorable mention for her photograph “Even Beauty Melts,” which depicts a flower frozen inside a melting ice cube.
“I really wanted to enter “Even Beauty Melts” because I felt that once I got a title for it, it could really reflect on COVID-19 and how people have realized their true selves [during the pandemic],” said Jordan. “Sometimes girls wear a lot of makeup and feel like they have to put on this front of looking their “best” every time or looking pretty. So sometimes when we take that off, or when that makeup ‘melts’ off, it reveals something that is so beautiful on its own and it doesn’t necessarily need all of that stuff to make it beautiful, because it already is. This connects to the image because the flower, which is in the ice, starts to melt and the sun starts to come through.”
Although she found the piece to be strong, Jordan wasn’t quite sure if she would enter it as a submission this year. However, once she was able to come up with a fitting, impactful title, she felt she might as well.
“I do photography mainly just to impact my community, so at first I was really unsure if I wanted to do that since you’re putting your piece in the opinion of others,” Jordan said. “But, I thought it would be interesting to give my work a chance and see if I could get any recognition. Knowing my work influences people is really important to me, because I do it for them–not necessarily always for myself.”
Jordan is also the current secretary of the Photography Society at Northwood, along with participating member Ella Sullivan. The director of this club who is also Northwood’s Photography and Art I teacher, Ms. Meagan Shirlen, praised all three awarded students as talented artists who work hard on their creations. More often than not, she suggests to her students that they should submit their artwork to contests whenever they can.
“I encouraged my students to enter the Scholastic Art competition, as it is a good experience to create work and go through the steps to enter it into a competition,” said Shirlen. “Also, it is usually the case that Northwood has at least a couple of winners of the competition, so I know that our students have a chance. There are scholarships available to winners who advance to a certain level.”
As words of advice to other student artists out there who might be interested in submitting their work to contests in the future, Schneider believes that having a personal connection with your artwork is the real gold key to success.
“Make your own art based off of something personal to you,” said Schneider. “I usually make art based on memories I have; putting emotions and personality into your piece really helps. Make something that you enjoy and that you’re proud of, and don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone.”
Jordan shares a similar insight.
“Just know that whatever you present, make sure that you love it with your whole heart. It doesn’t really matter what judges think; it doesn’t make a piece less beautiful or anymore special maybe because someone else likes it. A judge doesn’t degrade something that you’re really proud of.”
Photos courtesy of the artists.
