NHS Students Honored—

Connecticut Celebrates Top Student Artists

With 15th Annual Scholastic Exhibition

HARTFORD — In what has been called an “Artistic Olympics,” outstanding middle and high school artists are being honored this week with the 15th Annual Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards competition and exhibition at the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford.

The exhibition, “Scholastics 2005,” will be on view until February 4 at The Silpe Gallery at Hartford Art School.

An awards presentation on January 30 at The Lincoln Theatre at the University of Hartford officially opened this year’s exhibition.

Among the honorees were two students from Newtown High School. Katie Miranti earned an honorable mention in drawing and Billy Sims received an honorable mention in the sculpture category.

The diversity of expression and sophisticated skills of the young artists are evident in the impressive array of works in all media – painting, drawing, graphic arts, photography, film and animation, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry and crafts.

“Scholastics 2005” features 474 works selected by a panel of professionals from more than 1,700 entries representing 147 schools.

Awards included 104 gold medals, 113 silver, 213 honorable mentions, 28 gold art portfolios, and 16 gold photography portfolios.

Cash awards totaling $1,500, plus $750,000 worth of scholarships from Hartford Art School, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Central Connecticut State University and Savannah College of Art, were also handed out.

Connecticut Regional Scholastics is part of the National Scholastic Art Awards program which was created in New York in 1927 “to honor the creative excellence in the visual arts by junior and senior high school students.” It is now the largest and oldest arts competition in the country.