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Interlochen Arts Academy students shine in 2022 regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Eighty-four students from all seven artistic disciplines received accolades in the West Central Michigan region of the prestigious national arts competition.
A sculpture from Arts Academy student Quoc Bui’s Silver Medal-winning entry, “Fite.”
Eighty-four Interlochen Arts Academy students from across the Academy’s seven artistic disciplines received a total of 322 awards in the West Central Michigan region of the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Creative writing students received 151 awards, including 36 Gold Keys, 75 Silver Keys, and 40 Honorable Mentions. Neva Ensminger, Samantha Haviland, and Kaydance Rice received four of the region’s five coveted American Voices nominations, with Haviland earning nominations for both her poem “The Body as a Place for Lost Things” and her personal essay “What I Learned About Salvador Dali.”
Visual arts students earned a total of 119 awards—43 Gold Keys, 32 Silver Keys, and 44 Honorable Mentions—with 14 students earning accolades for their portfolio entries. Abby Amdur and Marlene Schweir also received American Visions nominations—Amdur for her mixed media work “Rage” and Schweir for her drawing “Bricks, Buildings, and Hockeysticks”—which are awarded to the top-five works across the competition’s 17 visual arts categories.
Students in the Academy’s dance, film, interdisciplinary arts, music, and theatre programs also earned recognition in the prestigious competition.
Dancer Michael Braun won a Gold Key for his critical essay, “A Gold & Bone Catharsis.”
Film students Katherine Giroux, Charlotte Kearns, Angela Kwak, Matheson Malpass, Tess McNulty, and Jolarson Tati earned a total of 23 awards—four Gold Keys, nine Silver Keys, and 10 Honorable Mentions—in both visual art and creative writing categories.
Interdisciplinary arts majors Orson Bridges, Samantha Epstein, and Ivy Sauter Sargent each received Honorable Mention prizes, with Bridges receiving accolades for two works.
Musicians Clara Devey, Sam Hicks, Lila Holler, and John Turner earned commendations for their personal essays, with Devey receiving a Gold Key and Hicks, Holler, and Turner receiving Honorable Mentions.
Theatre students Ruth Abramovitz, Ivery Libby, and Natalie Rudman also received awards: Abramovitz won a Gold Key for her personal essay; Libby received two Silver Keys for critical essays; and Rudman earned an Honorable Mention for digital art.
Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) serves as the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Affiliate Partner for the West Central Michigan region and is responsible for processing and judging all regional submissions. Winners are invited to showcase their work in a virtual exhibition—which will be available on the Kendall College of Art and Design website beginning Feb. 11, 2022—and attend the virtual awards ceremony on March 5, 2022. Gold Key winners will advance to the national level of the competition for further adjudication; results of the national judging will be announced in mid-March.
Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to recognize and celebrate the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth. Each year, young artists in grades 7-12 are invited to submit their works in 29 different categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and exhibition opportunities.
