Wakefield School seniors from Gainesville, Manassas honored with Scholastic Art Awards

Two seniors at Wakefield School in The Plains have been recognized by The Scholastic Art Awards, the nation’s largest, longest-running, and most prestigious recognition program for creative teenagers in the visual arts.

Bomee Kim of Gainesville was honored with a regional Silver Key for her drawing, Trace, as well as an Honorable Mention for her drawing, Peels. She is a student in Wakefield’s AP Studio Art class.

Kate Weimer of Manassas was awarded a regional Honorable Mention award for her drawing, titled Self-Portrait. She is a student in the Digital Photo and Film Analysis class as well as AP Studio Art.

The awards are presented by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, according to news release from Kate Prahlad at Wakefield.

A panel of Virginia artists and art professionals selected the works to be recognized. Richmond Art Region students sent 3,097 submissions to The Scholastic Art Awards this year. Of those, 186 Gold Keys were awarded to the most accomplished works; 206 Silver Keys were awarded to distinguished works; 275 Honorable Mentions were awarded to works demonstrating promise; and five American Visions Nominations were awarded to outstanding Gold Key works of art.

Gold Key artwork will be forwarded for national judging occurs in mid-March.

Kim has been invited to the Feb. 9 Scholastic Award Ceremony honoring Gold Key and Silver Key recipients. All Silver Key winners will be recognized on the VMFA website and their artwork will be featured as an online exhibition beginning Feb. 7.

The Arts Department at Wakefield offers a number of courses and opportunities for students to pursue their passion in the visual arts. Beginning in Junior Kindergarten, Wakefield students go to the Arts Building for a progressive curriculum that builds through the Lower, Middle and into the Upper School. The curriculum allows for hands-on painting, drawing, three-dimensional clay and sculpture, masks, and stained glass, Prahlad said.