The Art.Write.Now.2014 National Exhibition at Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery.

On June 11, writers and an appreciative audience gathered for Words and Lines: a free reading amid 2014 National Medalist artwork at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery. It was an evening that paid tribute to the Awards’ three criteria: originality, technical skill, and clear evidence of personal voices and visions!

The program featured award-winning author and  director of Pratt Institute’s Writing Program Thad Ziolkowski;  Past Portfolio Gold Medalists Lashanda Anakwah, Haris Durrani, and Emma Goldberg. The editor of The Best Teen Writing of 2014 , 2004 Portfolio Gold Medalist and fantasy author Hannah Jones served as emcee and even shared some of her work with the crowd!

Poetry and prose echoed throughout the Pratt Manhattan Gallery’s exclusive exhibit of 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Award-winning photography, ceramics and glass…and we know that as you read this, you wish you were there. Two of the readers, Lashanda and Emma, graciously agreed to share excerpts of their work.  Read More

This post originally appeared on Scholastic’s On Our Minds blog. By Brittany Sullivan.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice… Or win a National Scholastic Art & Writing Award!

This week, more than 800 students with their families and teachers, representing a total of 47 states, will travel to New York City to celebrate the national winners of the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awardsduring National Celebrations, hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. We were absolutely blown away by the outstanding talent of this year’s national winners (check out ourrecent feature on this year’s Portfolio Gold Medal artists) and what better way to honor them for their incredible accomplishments than with a special ceremony at iconic Carnegie Hall?

This year’s Carnegie Hall ceremony will feature special addresses by entertainer Nick Cannon, Emmy® Award–winning actor David Strathairn and artist Kay WalkingStick, who will receive the program’s Alumni Achievement Award. “It is important for kids today to have the freedom to express themselves and build confidence,” said Nick Cannon. “The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards empower students, giving them an outlet to show their passion for the arts and grow their individual talent. As a creative professional myself, I am inspired by each and every one of these students.” Be sure to join the live webcast on June 6! Read More

Have you ever wondered where we display the beautiful National Medalist artwork we receive every year? We recently started a new Instagram series, On Our Walls, which takes you on a special tour of the work that hangs in the Scholastic New York City Headquarters.

Many of the National Medalist works move on to be a part of the Art.Write.Now.Tour and Art.Write.Now.DC following the National Exhibition. The work that does not go on the road will find a year-long home in our offices, including 3D works that are too fragile to travel. For the thousands of employees and visitors who come through our doors every day, the opportunity to see your work is a very special experience.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @artandwriting to follow the fun and check out the work after the jump!
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Guests viewing the work on display at the Albuquerque stop of the Art.Write.Now.Tour

The Scholastic Awards national office is dedicated to growing affiliates across the country, including the Southwest! Here’s the latest on the New Mexico Region and its new art award program!

As we’ve reported, the Art.Write.Now.Tour, the national student exhibit of selected Gold Medal winners, just finished its run at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, which brought about awareness and generated excitement for the program. Two students from New Mexico who currently have their work in the Tour represented their home state. School field trips were coordinated to view the exhibit, and some school commitments had been made to participate in the program as an art course requirement. Read More

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