NEW BERLIN – Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival is pleased to announce the award of the “Francis K. Wilcox Scholarship for Emerging Young Artists” to high school students Jessica Johnnes of New Berlin and Paige Wissenbach of Earlville.

The 2008 Francis K. Wilcox Scholarship Awards of $350 per Emerging Young Artist exhibitor will be presented at the complimentary Awards Breakfast on Sunday morning, Sept. 7, during the 14th Annual Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival in downtown Norwich. As well, $100 gift certificates good for Golden Artist Colors products will be awarded to each Emerging Young Artist exhibitor.

“The selection committee was very impressed with the quality and creativity of the works submitted by both recipients,” said Peggy Finnegan, Colorscape Visual Arts Coordinator. “The recipients will now experience the professional art world firsthand by having the opportunity to display and sell their work at this year’s Colorscape.”

Recipients will display and sell their work in a booth provided by Colorscape and participate fully with other exhibitors to give them the experience of taking part in a juried art festival with professional artists.

“I started to draw when I was very little,” said Jessica, who will attend SUNY Purchase this fall to study art and music. “My drawings were mostly of maps and fantastical characters from far away lands. I never began to draw anything more serious until I reached middle school.”