By: Belinda Armstrong, Art Department Chair
The honor of having your work receive a National Gold Medal through The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is a tremendous accomplishment. Approximately 8,000 submissions in visual art and 2,000 in writing from regional affiliates were adjudicated in New York by an esteemed panel of jurors of writers, artists, professors, and a variety of professionals that represent the creative industry. Rising senior Stephanie Schauder’s work is among the 1,400 that received national honors. Her drawing, entitled A Different World, is one of only 500 Gold Medals awarded and the first Gold Medal received in Cannon School history! (There have been two National Silver Medal recipients, Kevin Jaszewski '10 in 2008, and Tal Jacobs '08 in 2007.)
For Stephanie, the experience is huge. She will travel to New York in June to be recognized on stage at Carnegie Hall. Beyond the adulation is the opportunity to have this special work on display at the World Financial Center, where the message will remind all who view it that there is crisis in our world. A Different World confronts the viewer with a truth that compels us to action; two young emaciated bodies huddled together with eyes empty of hope captures the attention of head and heart.
"I was inspired to draw this picture because world hunger is an issue that needs to be publicized," says Stephanie. "As I began to work on this piece, I actually became even more haunted by the image I had chosen to work from. The children looked so weak and helpless...as if they really didn’t care about anything anymore."
One night, as Stephanie was working on the drawing, her mom, Dr. Nancy Astle, commented, "I wonder what they must think of the world," and Stephanie wonders this as well. "In a nation that has been so blessed, it is truly hard to imagine people struggling for something as simple as a meal," she says. "If anything, working on this project has opened my eyes up to this issue, and helped see that this is a problem we must fix."
Editor's note: Belinda Armstrong will also be honored with a Gold Medal on stage at Carnegie Hall in recognition for her encouragement of creative achievement in her role as instructor and mentor. Congratulations to both Stephanie and Mrs. Armstrong! |