Local Highlight: Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire

by The Alliance //
Gold Key Portfolio students are recognized onstage.
Gold Key Portfolio students are recognized onstage during the regional Awards Ceremony

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards’ national office in New York City is dedicated to growing and supporting our Affiliate Partners across the country. Our Affiliate Partners are doing great work in their communities, and we love hearing about their outreach efforts, their students, and their programs. This month, we shine the spotlight on the Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire which manages the New Hampshire Art Region of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Here’s what Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire had to say about Awards activity in their region:

The Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire (SAANH) is a statewide association of art educators, artists, and visual arts institutions who strive to foster creative expression and artistic achievement in all students in grades 7–12 who are eligible for the program. SAANH is a new non-profit organization that provides the Scholastic Awards program for the State of New Hampshire. For the past seventeen years, the New Hampshire Affiliate was administered by the New Hampshire Art Educators’ Association (NHAEA), and this past fall SAANH split off to form its own non-profit due primarily to the growth of the program.

Crowds view the exhibit prior to the Awards Ceremony
Crowds view the exhibit of Gold, Silver, and Honorable mention works prior to the Awards Ceremony

The all-volunteer board is composed of elected officers and appointed members of the art education community who have extensive experience with junior and senior high school art programs in public, private, and parochial schools. In January, the regional exhibition of Gold, Silver, and Honorable Mention awards totaling 921 artworks were exhibited at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH, our host site sponsor for the past ten years.

The NH region is one of just a few statewide affiliates for the Scholastic Awards in the country. Our program operates on corporate and individual donations and a portion of the submission fees raised during the program year. Our sponsors for the 2016–2017 program year included Pinkerton Academy, The New Hampshire Institute of Art, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Grant for the Putnam Foundation, The New Hampshire Art Educators’ Association, Coca-Cola of Northern New England, Inc., and John and Sheila Hoglund.

Gold and Silver Key artworks nominated by the American Society Marine Artists
Gold and Silver Key artworks nominated by the American Society of Marine Artists

Our Board of Directors begins our program annually with a meeting in late July. During this meeting, we plan for the season ahead noting changes and improvements we would like to make. This past year we partnered with the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) and their Young Marine Artist Search (YMAS) program to highlight and nominate students in several categories who received Gold or Silver Keys and whose work exhibited a maritime theme. Students recognized through our regional program are encouraged to apply for additional scholarship opportunities through ASMA.

Darby Bowen's Gold Key sculpture Bloom received the top prize in the sculpture category from the American Society of Marine Artists
Darby Bowen’s Gold Key sculpture Bloom received the top prize in the sculpture category from the American Society of Marine Artists

Our adjudication panels include college visual arts professors, museum educators, retired middle and high school art educators, and practicing artists. Each adjudication panel is made of three individuals selected by the Board of Directors to judge each classification. They are selected for their special skills and knowledge of each medium and their experience in working with adolescents. A few years back, a student of a board member developed an electronic system for identifying works in the adjudication process that replaced the old paddle system. The new technology aides in the silent adjudication process by providing a lighted readout that our panel coordinator can see but the judges cannot. This provides more equality in the judging process.

In addition to the American Visions nominees, our regional jurors choose special awards:

  • Best-of-Show prizes honor the American Visions nominees and seven additional Gold Key works with a $100 prize
  • The NHAEA middle school scholarship is awarded to a seventh- or eighth-grade Gold Key artwork

We also provide four senior portfolio awards:

  • The NHAEA President Scholarship
  • Two SAANH portfolio scholarships
  • Coca-Cola of Northern New England, Inc. portfolio scholarship

Former board member Dorothy Messenger established a scholarship program for students who have a desire to continue their art education. Her scholarship program recognizes a student who has not received any other monetary scholarships or prizes.

We are also grateful to area colleges and universities that provide our seniors with school scholarships based on their portfolio recognitions. These institutions include The New Hampshire Institute of Art, Maine College of Art, and Massachusetts College of Art & Design.

For more information about the Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire please contact:

Scott Chatfield, Executive Director
15 Tumble Road
Bedford, NH 03110

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are proud to work with organizations like the Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire to help talented students receive recognition for their creative efforts. By partnering together, SAANH and the Scholastic Awards give our youth the support they need to become lasting members of their art and writing communities.