The Scholastic Art Awards program begins at the state level and includes all media: drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media. The 140 winning pieces are currently on display at the History Colorado Center. After March 7, 40 works of art will be selected to be part of an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, and a smaller group of pieces will be chosen for a national exhibit in New York later this year.

“We guide our students toward academic excellence and that becomes our ‘ordinary’ path,” said Michelle Pearson, Education Programs Specialist at History Colorado. “This is what makes a student ‘extraordinary.’ It’s that special gift, the ability to tap into their own personal mystery.

“In the art world, Scholastic is a big deal. It’s huge,” says Kathryn Hill, Chief Operating Officer at History Colorado. “This success is a reflection of these students – the intense focus and commitment they have to that part of themselves.”

The Scholastic Arts Awards are part of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program, which was established in 1923. Today, more than 90,000 teens in grades 7 through 12 from around the nation annually submit more than 185,000 works of art and writing in 28 categories. Winning students earn opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships.

The Awards, now presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, not only celebrate the rich future of artistic America, but also document its past. The program has been credited with identifying early talent in generations of America’s cultural icons, including Truman Capote (1932), Richard Avedon (1941), Andy Warhol (ca. 1945), Sylvia Plath (1947), Robert Redford (1954) and Zac Posen (1998), each of whom won the award when they were in high school.

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History Colorado's mission is to inspire generations to find wonder and meaning in our past and to engage in creating a better Colorado. We serve as the state's memory, preserving the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through our museums, educational programs, historic preservation grants, research library, collections, and outreach to Colorado communities. Find History Colorado on all major social media platforms. Visit HistoryColorado.org or call (303) HISTORY for more information.