2022 Choice of Show Award: Ava Dunham
The Sullivan County Council on the Arts top prize for a single student artwork this year goes to Ava Dunham, for “Crazy Rabbit,” her fanciful yet striking portrait of a common inhabitant of Sullivan County. This work also took first prize in the 11-12 Painting category in the Youth Art exhibit.
The Choice of Show Award has now reached the quarter-century mark, its initial 1998 prize going to Desiree Bender. As has been the case with all the Choices since its inception, we have purchased the artwork from Ava and will have it framed and hung in the high school’s main corridor, along with a commemorative plaque.
The growing collection forms an enduring testament to the range, quality and dedication of our county’s art students.
Congratulations, Ava! Keep up the excellent work and keep in touch, to let us all know about your future endeavors.
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Looking for the lates issue of Hills and Valleys magazine….
…with all the winners of our Literary Contest and photos of the first-prize high school winners of the Youth Art Exhibit? Of course you are! and you can find it here. In full color!
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Youth Art Awards
Below is a link to the official list of winners, who received recognition last Sat. at the library in Dushore. First-prize winners work will be featured in Hills & Valleys magazine, along with our Literary Contest winners, sometime in the coming month. We also hope to have all the visual-art winners work available online, though we’re in transition on how that will be carried out.
In the meantime, you can can see all the pieces by the YA winners and their classmates at the high school art show, May 11 starting at 5:45pm, and the elementary school show, May 19. Both will be held in the schools’ main hallways in Laporte.
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Literary Contest Winners
First prize in our annual Literary Contest was won by Jacob Botsford for his haunting monster story, “A Looming Darkness.” And in a family one-two, his brother, Isaiah Botsford, took second prize with his personal tale of determination, “Run, Boy, Run.” Sean Papke’s eerie tale “The Epiphany” took third prize, while fourth prize went to Alexis Morhineway‘s evocative poem of nature, “The Teal Sea.” This year’s three judges were local wordsmith Connie Hatch, community firebrand Patty Lane, and long-time county native and current high school teacher in Towanda, Bob Phillips.
We will publish the winning works (along with the first-prize winners in th Youth Art Exhibit) in our annual Hills and Valleys magazine, scheduled to come out in May. Copies of the magazine will be available for free, and it will also be posted online.
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Zoe Pedro wins 2022 Theater Award
Our annual Theater Award is given to the high school senior who has contributed the most to theater over her or his school career. Susan Kinsey and Danielle Reeser, who directed the drama program this year, chose Zoe, with whom they have worked with for several years.
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Thanks to Mimi Engel the SSCA is now on Facebook. So if you’re a Facebook member, log in and look for our page: “Sullivan County Council on the Arts.”
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SCCA Board members
We’re looking for new board members. Are you interested? Do you know someone who is? If so, respond to dereksbdavis@gmail.com and we’ll pass the info along to our revered nomination committee. You don’t have to be an artist (though we’re delighted to have artists join), just have an interest in art, your community and the general enlightenment of humanity. Each board member is asked to attend our monthly board meetings (generally the third Thu. of each month, except Jan., at 7pm in the Sullivan County Library, Dushore), either in person or by Zoom. These meetings are short, usually under an hour, and relatively painless. You would also be asked to take some duty for one of our annual programs. It’s fun, and there is usually generous servings of cookies and fruit.
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For a list of all our major programs, look here.
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Local arts and other links:
Sullivan County Historical Society and Museum
Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce
Heading photo by Donna Sherwood
Sullivan County PA Council on the Arts 