Untitled (Separate Yourself From the Animals), 2013. By Justin Nissley.

Guest post by Justin Nissley (2001 Scholastic Awards winner) whose art is currently being shown in a group exhibition at the Taubman Museum of Art until January 25. Justin received his BFA in Studio Art at Virginia Tech, and now resides and works in New York City. He was also a part of our first artist-and-residency program, the Atelier, in the fall/winter of 2011.

New York City is a great place for an artist to live. There is so much to see and do, and artists can visit many local galleries to get their finger on the pulse of what is happening in the art world. I think going to look at art is one of the most important things an artist can do, other than creating it.

My art for the past 7 years has been figurative, and mostly painting portraits. I’m drawn to the face because I’m constantly surrounded by people, and each person is fascinating in his or her own way. Recently, I started doing charcoal drawings of people in gas masks. Read More

On September 29, we launched Art.Write.Now.Pop-Up! to celebrate the start of the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Functioning as a flash residency for one Awards alumni, the pop-up took over the main display window of the flagship Scholastic Store. In one week, alum Timothy H. Lee created not only impressive works of art, but also an environment that mirrored his studio for all to observe.

Every day, curious passers-by looked on as Timothy’s surprisingly scientific process resulted in beautiful watercolor works adorned with intricate cutouts reminiscent of cell structures. Timothy, a Korean-born New York-raised artist, studied Neuroscience, Drawing and Biology when he attended Wesleyan University. After graduating with high honors, he decided to table his medical ambitions in favor of becoming a full-time studio artist. Perhaps the most intriguing part of his process to watch was the cutting of his vast network of diamond-shaped slices. Scholastic employees, tourists, locals, and even TV Host/Actor Nick Cannon, looked on, completely mesmerized by his hypnotic technique. Read More

Mel Bochner. Measurement Shadow, 1969 via Peter Freeman Inc.

If you’re in New York City this summer, be sure to visit Scholastic Awards alum Mel Bochner’s Proposition and Process: A Theory of Sculpture (1968 – 1973) at Peter Freeman, Inc. in SoHo, now extended through July 12. This striking exhibition features 18 of Bochner’s works produced during the beginning of his career – just 10 years after he received his Award in 1958 at the age of 18. Bochner was among the first conceptual artists to create art in which the walls of the gallery are the subject, and this show is no exception. Each piece interacts and alters this looming storefront space, and compels the viewer to look, read and think simultaneously.
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This post originally appeared on Scholastic’s On Our Minds blog. By Lia Zneimer.

It’s been ten days since the 2013 Scholastic Art & Writing Award winners were honored at Carnegie Hall, but we’re still celebrating their accomplishments. The two weeks following the Awards ceremony (which, by the way, you can watch [or re-watch] online) are some of my favorite: that’s when a selection of Award-winning art and writing is on display here in New York. Of course, living in this City means we’re fortunate enough to be surrounded by countless museums and galleries, but I can honestly say that the pieces featured in the Art.Write.Now.2013 National Exhibition are some of the most extraordinary I’ve seen. Read More

Celebrating Scholastic Art & Writing Awards winners at Carnegie Hall, June 4, 2009. Check out some of our favorite Awards Ceremony photos from prior years here!

This edited post originally appeared on Scholastic’s On Our Minds blog. By Lia Zneimer.

With more than 230,000 submissions, the Scholastic Awards’ 90th Anniversary year attracted more participants than ever before, and next week, more than 800 of the 1,600+ talented teens who received national honors will make their way to New York City to attend the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall. There, the students will share the spotlight with actress and arts advocate Sarah Jessica Parker and fashion designer Zac Posen, who won a Scholastic Award in 1999 and will be presented with the 2013 Alumni Achievement Award. To top it all off, First Lady Michelle Obama and actress Lena Dunham of Girls (also an Awards alumna) will offer their congratulations via video. Plus–as if this news could possibly get more exciting–the Carnegie Hall ceremony will be webcast LIVE in honor of the Awards’ 90th anniversary so that people across the nation can share in the celebration! For more information on how to register for the live webcast–or to hold an Awards viewing party in your hometown–check out this blog post. Read More

1993 Scholastic Art Exhibition opening at Howard University

By Haley Richardson, Scholastic Awards Archivist

This year’s Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall is shaping up to be the biggest celebration the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have ever seen. With a sold out show and live streaming webcast of the event, there’s a lot to celebrate!

All of this got me thinking about the different ways in which the Awards have been celebrated through the last 90 years.

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