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.”
Jessica learned about different mediums and how to use them. Now, she paints everyday and loves experimenting with different textiles and textures in her paintings. She incorporates lots of color, mirroring the look of quilts made by her mother, she said.
“To me, art is about expression, mostly to bring something more beautiful into the world. I like the idea that anyone can create something beautiful, and I feel my art reflects that.”
Paige is in 11th grade and plans to attend college to study art. Though she hasn’t decided on a college yet, she’s been visiting campuses over the summer.
“My love for art started the day I could draw,” she said. “It is a great passion of mine. I love any sort of creative work. The classes I most enjoy are art classes. I try to pack as many art classes in my schedule as I can.”
Both Paige and Jessica have received numerous awards and recognition for their artwork. The Francis K. Scholarship is the latest award recognizing their artistic achievements.
“This program is intended to honor and give public recognition to, as well as to stimulate competition among, students who make high achievement in painting and three-dimensional design,” said Francis Wilcox.
Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival is a juried outdoor exhibition of fine arts and crafts. Organizers are dedicated to providing a show of the highest quality in an interactive atmosphere featuring demonstrations, educational activities, live musical entertainment, a competitive poetry slam, and creative food vending. Colorscape attracts an estimated 14-16,000 visitors each year. Admission and all activities are free. For more information, visit www.colorscape.org.