Cardigan Artists Recognized in National Contest

It is with pleasure that we celebrate two students who have recently received Scholastic Art Awards: Amanuel “Mano” Levine ’23 and Joonseong “Jake” Lim ’23. 

Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious competition for creative teens. Students in grades 7-12 submit works in 28 different categories of art and writing, competing for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.

According to Scholastic Arts, this year was particularly unique: “Challenges posed by the pandemic, protests for racial equity, and a volatile political landscape have made this a particularly difficult year for our country’s young people. From lost milestone experiences—graduations, proms, summer jobs and vacations—to the abrupt physical separation from relatives, friends, and places of inspiration and refuge, they have faced grief, anger, and anxiety. Every day, all of us at the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers are reminded of the power of creative expression to help teens navigate these uncertain times. Creativity provides an outlet for identifying, working through, and expressing complicated emotions.”

Works are first judged at the regional level on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal vision or voice, with Gold Key winners moving on to the national level. This year two seventh-grade students at Cardigan submitted artwork, and both of them received regional recognition. 

First up, Jake Lim received a Silver Key Award for his painting titled “Not Much Time Left” in which he addressed the issue of global warming. “If you look closely,” explains Jake, “Earth is not much like the blue marble that you are used to seeing on satellite photos; instead it's faded with grey dust and yellowish desert, no longer a place that people can live. Most of the land masses have turned to deserts and the remaining forests are burning with black smoke. This is how I imagine Earth in 2035 if global warming keeps going.”

Jake also received an honorable mention for his drawing titled, “The Wave” which addresses remote learning and the pandemic. “It was hard for me to come up with the idea itself,” says Jake. “I had two or three similar ideas and finally chose to go with this one. I like that I tried to put emphasis on the red water in the middle of the picture and succeeded in coloring the other parts in a light tone and the water with the strong red tone.”

Our second award-winner, Mano Levine, received a Gold Key Award for his charcoal drawing titled, “The Old Man.” Mano, who started drawing when he was in sixth grade, says he tries to make at least one drawing everyday; “The Old Man” was one of these. While he usually starts with a photo, he then redraws the image from different angles to express different emotions. “I like drawing old people because their faces have so much texture and detail,” he says. “‘The Old Man’ is my favorite because he looks so kind and sweet.” 

The Cardigan winners will be celebrated at the virtual New Hampshire regional/state exhibit and ceremony scheduled for March 5, 2021 at 6:00 pm. The awards program will also be available for viewing and downloading.

“I am thrilled that these young artists have been recognized regionally,” says Art Department Chair Nina Silitch P’19,’21. “We look forward to continuing to support their development as artists during their time here at Cardigan.”

Our winners will receive certificates and pins later this spring. In addition, Mano Levine, as a Gold Key winner, will move onto the national competition which is judged by a panel of renowned artists and educators from across the nation. The Cardigan community is very proud of these young artists.