Three Carson City art students named 2019 Scholastic Art Award winners

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Museum of Art announced the 2019 Scholastic Art Award Winners, and on the list were a senior and junior from Carson High and one seventh-grader from Carson Middle School. Emily Richardson, 17-years-old, Sarah Woods, 17-years-old, Keira Serpa, 13-years-old, were all recognized as Gold Key winners.

More than 700 creative teens across northern Nevada were awarded for their original artwork submitted to this year’s Scholastic Art Awards. A panel of local judges sorted through more than 2,250 works – with 736 participating students – submitted in 16 categories for the northern Nevada visual arts component of the 2019 Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, overseen by the Nevada Museum of Art. Award winners will be honored with a ceremony at the Nevada Museum of Art, in downtown Reno, at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 14.

Judges spent two days deliberating over which submissions would receive awards based on originality, technical skills and the emergence of a personal vision. From the submissions chosen to receive awards, 173 artworks were selected for Gold Key awards. These works will go on to compete at the national level and have the chance to be recognized as the best up-and-coming artists in the nation.

Judges also selected 247 additional artworks to receive the Silver Key award for outstanding achievement at the regional level, and the panel selected 530 submissions to receive Honorable Mention recognition. Students demonstrating exceptional talent will be awarded scholarships. This record-breaking year saw more artwork submissions than ever before resulting in a historical amount of awards given.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is the longest-running recognition initiative for creative teens. For 96 years the Awards have identified and awarded some of the nation’s most accomplished visionaries. Past award winners include influential American artists and writers such as Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Stephen King and Reno’s own Michael Sarich. Last year over 330,000 works were submitted nationally, including more than 2,000 art submissions from Northern Nevada. Since 1999 the Nevada Museum of Art has overseen the Northern Nevada regional visual arts component of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

The Museum will partner with the Holland Project Gallery to present the 2019 Scholastic Art Award winning works, on display February 22 through March 15, 2019. Gold Key winners will be exhibited at the Holland Project Gallery, 140 Vesta Street, Reno. American Visions Award Nominees will be on display at the Nevada Museum of Art, Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Visual Arts, E. L. Wiegand Gallery located at 160 West Liberty Street in downtown Reno.

The Holland Project will host the Gold Key Works Exhibition opening reception from 6 to 8 pm, Friday, Feb. 22. The 2019 Scholastic Art Awards Ceremony honoring winners will be held at the Nevada Museum of Art at 6 pm, Thursday, March 14. Award-winning students and their guests are asked to RSVP by March 1 to jacque.dawson@nevadaart.org. Due to limited space, award-winning students may bring up to two guests and educators may bring one guest.

A complete list of Northern Nevada Scholastic Art Award winners can be found here.

The 2019 Scholastic Art Awards is generously sponsored by City of Reno Arts & Culture Commission, NV Energy and Nell J. Redfield Foundation. Additional support is provided from Wild Women Artists.