ASFA students win big in national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Four Alabama School of Fine Arts students have been honored by the U.S.’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens.

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers puts on the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards each year in order to “[activate] a vibrant network of teen artists and writers, alumni and educational partners across the United States and Canada; [create] opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, scholarships and community-building; and [celebrate] the transformative power of creative expression.”

One student at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA), Jack Adams, is a recipient of the Gold Medal, the highest recognition in the national competition.

Adams is a senior in the Visual Arts Department and submitted a portfolio of painted works entitled “The New Cave Culture.” As a Gold Medal Portfolio winner, he is the recipient of a $12,500 scholarship. ASFA’s Randy Gachet was listed as Adams’ instructor.

Three other ASFA students’ works were chosen as regional Gold Key Award winners:

• Siena Peroulas — Portfolio and Painting
• Maya Jeffcoat — Painting
• Zuzu Hepburn — Drawing

Their works will move on to be judged at the national level in New York City later this year.

Submissions are judged by considering three main categories:

• Originality — work that is unique and blurs boundaries
• Skill — may refer to craftsmanship and the way the work was made, but may also refer to other types of skill
• Emergence of a personal voice or vision — work that expresses an authentic perspective and stands out from classroom assignments and social media trends

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