“Imagination is still alive and well in you. If you can imagine it, you can write it. If you can imagine it, you can draw it, or sculpt it, or make a poem about it. You guys can make magic and have made magic,” exclaimed award-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg last night during her opening remarks at the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Ceremony.
This week, imagination was more alive than ever as 900 students, with their families and teachers, traveled from across the country to join the nine days of National Celebrations, hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, in New York City. These students, grades 7-12, are national winners in the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the country's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative teens. While visiting the Big Apple, students participated in events throughout Manhattan and shared their adventures on social media using #GoldKey. Over the course of the week, there have been over 1,600 mentions of #GoldKey on Twitter and Instagram… Wow! Below is a recap of this week’s biggest and best moments. Be sure to share yours on social media using the hashtag!
Art.Write.Now.2015 National Exhibition
On Friday, June 5, the Art.Write.Now.2015 National Exhibition opened at two Manhattan locations near Union Square: Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons School of Design at The New School and Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery. This impressive collection of 1,000 works by national Scholastic Art & Writing Award winners is currently on display and free to the public. Did you happen to catch the live television interview on NBC 4 with Executive Director of the Alliance Virginia McEnerney and Award winner Tashawn "Whaffles" Davis?
The stunning pieces on display in the National Exhibition span the Award’s 28 categories including photography, journalism, jewelry design, comic art, poetry, painting, sculpture and even video game design. Visitors can also listen to audio recording of Award-winning writing via hanging tin cans or rotary phones. The exhibition closes on June 14, so be sure to check it out this weekend!
National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall
As the old saying goes, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!” For 900 students, the trick to getting themselves to Carnegie Hall was winning a national Scholastic Art & Writing Award! Yesterday, June 11, these talented teens were honored at world-famous Carnegie Hall with a special National Ceremony, which incorporated a new social media twist! During the ceremony, social media correspondents Jennifer McAllister, YouTube star (also known as JennXPenn), and Michelle Tan, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen magazine, highlighted photos and messages from winners tagged with #GoldKey using the social media management platform Sprinklr.
The big surprise of the night was a special appearance by Whoopi Goldberg! At the start of the ceremony, Whoopi delivered the opening remarks, encouraging students to continue down their creative paths by believing in themselves. Emmy and Tony-nominated actor and star of Fox’s Glee Matthew Morrison later introduced the 16 Portfolio Gold Medalists on stage and Chelsea Clinton closed the show by delivering a powerful keynote speech. “I really hope that you’ll think about what makes you angry or what really inspires you, and how to use your talents to help put something on the map that we’re not paying attention to,” said Chelsea to the national winners.
Also during the ceremony, renowned sculptor and Scholastic Art & Writing Awards alumnus Donald Lipski was presented with this year’s Alumni Achievement Award by his friend and fellow artist Tom Otterness and Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Vijay Seshadri read works by the five National Student Poets. Students who received Awards from program sponsors were additionally honored on stage for their creative works. Sponsored Student Awards include Best-in-Grade (B.I.G.) Award (sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies), Creativity & Citizenship Award (in partnership with the National Constitution Center), Gedenk Award for Tolerance (sponsored by Gedenk Movement), Duck Tape® Brand Award and The Future New Award.
You can view and download images from the National Ceremony on the Scholastic media room and be sure to listen to Portfolio Gold Medalists Max Johnson and Trace DePass on WNYC’s The Takeaway.
Maker Prom
What better way to celebrate winning a national medal than with a massive dance/maker party? Immediately following the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall, students attended the second annual Maker Prom at Roosevelt Hotel. Co-presented by Hive NYC and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, this unique prom featured more than just a dance floor. Students visited tables throughout the event where they could create sonic portraits, LED corsages and more. Check out the fun on the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Instagram!
Another spectacular highlight from this week: Throughout Thursday night, the iconic Empire State Building shined its tower lights in gold to honor the teen winners of the 2015 Awards.
Congratulations to all Scholastic Art & Writing Award winners! Your talent and limitless imaginations continue to inspire us year after year and we can’t wait to see where your creativity takes you.
Photos by Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Scholastic
