Community Spotlight: 2022 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
By Erica Richard
Erica Richard is the Coordinator of School Programs & Teaching Resources at the DAM.
We value and celebrate the creativity and inventiveness of our youth artists at the Denver Art Museum. With the reopening of the Martin Building last fall, we launched our Community Spotlight program to help us honor young artists by displaying their artwork inside the museum. These rotating showcases are housed in the Wonderscape, a playful space in the building's lower level designed to welcome school groups to the museum.
The Wonderscape is activated by about 100 drawings, illustrations, paintings, and prints created by students from around Colorado in the past year. We were blown away by the 3,000+ artists who submitted artworks; their inventiveness and impeccable craftsmanship is inspiring!
The Scholastic Art and Writing Award Showcase runs through March 31, 2022, in the Wonderscape on the lower level of the Martin Building.
Displaying these artworks is an impactful way in which we show support for the young artists in our lives. Not only does the artist feel a sense of pride in their work but it also but increases self-esteem and a sense of ownership and belonging. Marty Loftus, visual arts director at Denver School of the Arts, said, "Students having the opportunity to display their work at the Denver Art Museum leave with memories that last a lifetime. To say that your work has been displayed in a venue that has housed the work of artists like Cassatt, Casteel, Rembrandt, Whistler, and so many others, reinforces what every teacher already knows: that these are the works of students but also the works of artists."
For the past 73 years, Colorado’s creative community has come together annually to celebrate the next generation of emerging artists with the Colorado Region Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. This year, the Denver Art Museum is proud to be one of the four locations displaying the award-winning artworks. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is the nation’s longest running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Through a blind selection process, jurors look for an artwork's originality, technical skill, and the emergence of voice and vision. Selected artists are awarded Gold Key, Silver Key. and Honorable Mentions. With this program, Scholastic encourages emerging young artists at the beginning of their artistic journey. Award winners receive recognition, scholarships, and the chance to exhibit and publish their works. Students across Colorado create artworks, shaped by reflection, curiosity, and passion, expressing hope for the future. These students are the next generation of visionaries, leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Visit the Scholastic Art and Writing Award Showcase at the DAM through March 30, 2022. Learn more about the awards and other exhibition locations at coloradoartawards.org.
To say that your work has been displayed in a venue that has housed the work of artists like Cassatt, Casteel, Rembrandt, Whistler, and so many others, reinforces what every teacher already knows: that these are the works of students but also the works of artists.
