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2007 is starting out as a great year for the St. Mary’s Art Department. In late January, The Scholastic Art Awards announced the 2007 award recipients from the Northwest Oregon Region, and St. Mary’s is home to seven of them. Sophomore Kristin Koop, juniors Bridget Underwood and Kiki Stephenson, and seniors Fiona Bayh, Abigael Kaufman, Clare Obradovich, and Sarah Dasso were all awarded Gold Keys, Silver Keys or Honorable Mention for their work. In addition, Kiki Stephenson was selected as a nominee for the prestigious American Vision Award.
According to Kathy Mitchell, Chair of the Fine Arts Department, “The American Vision Award is a special category within Gold Key recipients that exemplifies and speaks to the American experience. Kiki’s Orange and Blue Still Life, painted in oil paint…is nominated for the national award. One of the American Vision Nominees from Oregon will be selected to represent our state in the show that travels around the country for the National Scholastic Art program.” All of the pieces awarded Gold Keys will be shipped to New York City for national judging. Those results will be announced in April/May.
Bridget Underwood created a colorful acrylic painting titled Self Portrait with Birds and Arrows using acrylic paint and sharpie marker that was awarded a Gold Key, as well as an honorable mention for her mixed media piece titled Apple. Abigael Kaufman, a senior, received a Silver Key Award for her digital photo titled La Grace. Sophomore Kristin Koop was awarded a Silver Key for her mixed media self-portrait, Looking for Peace. Senior Sarah Dasso also received a Silver Key Award for her charcoal portrait, Living Genocide. Fiona Bayh, a senior, was awarded a Gold Key for her animated claymation film, Penguin Holiday. Lastly, senior Clare Obradovich received a Silver Key for her acrylic portrait, Keeping.
“I am very proud of the recognition these awards give to the artistic talents of our students, “says Mitchell. “They demonstrate the quality of our art program, and provide incentive for other students to take art classes and participate in the program in the future. These recognition awards boost self esteem and confidence in the recipients, and put them in a league with well known artists who achieved awards at their age. For the size of our school, we can be proud of the number of awards received.”
Founded in 1859 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, St. Mary's Academy of downtown Portland, is Oregon's oldest continuously operating secondary school and one of 716 all-female schools in the country. The student body represents a diverse background of young women from 30 urban, suburban, and rural communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington. St. Mary's Academy is distinguished by its development of the whole person, and is the only school in the state to receive three U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools awards.
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