Pleasant Grove art students recognized at National Scholastic Awards
TEXARKANA, Texas — Four Pleasant Grove High School art students were honored as national medalists at this year’s virtual National Scholastic Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall earlier this month.
After presentations that included messages from special guests like Reese Witherspoon, Kelly Clarkson, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Kristen Bell and Oprah Winfrey, images of the students and their artwork were shown to recognize them. Matthew Angier, Camrynn Parrish, Elizabeth Tye and Alexis Snyder were the PG students recognized for receiving gold keys for their works.
The special guests featured in this national event had formerly received gold keys.
PG Art Teacher Nicole Brisco said the students were thrilled to be included in such rarefied air.
“Andy Warhol received a gold key when he was in high school, and it wasn’t uncommon to see him at some exhibit and have that key on,” Brisco said. “So to be in the same space as some of these people that have come before them is a very amazing feeling, and to achieve that at a national level.”
The students entered works of various pieces of art they produced throughout the most recent school year.
In 2020, students from around the country submitted nearly 350,000 works of art and writing to the Scholastic Awards.
Art submissions were juried by luminaries in the visual arts, some of whom are past award recipients. They looked for works that best exemplified originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
Brisco said it was important to her to give her students the opportunity to be recognized by submitting their works nationally so they could work outside of the boundaries that state and regional competitions can have when it comes to creativity.
“Sometimes, if you’re in certain parts of the country, certain types of art do better than other types because it’s just a taste or aesthetic. But in this competition, they really challenge students to go outside of the box,” she said. “The rules are quite minimal so the kids can truly explore and push themselves.
“And for a high school our size to do so well, I felt incredibly proud of the kids. But it’s just a reminder that they’re working at a level that is recognized among peers outside our city and state.”