This year, 10 Lampeter-Strasburg High School (LSHS) students received Scholastic Art Awards, and 26 LSHS students received Lancaster County Young Artist Awards.

Since 1923, the Scholastic Art Awards have identified students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and presented their work to the world. The awards give students opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. The Lancaster County Young Artist Awards is a regional competition open to any student attending school in a participating district. Categories include apparel, ceramics and glass, computer art, drawing, fibers, graphic design, jewelry and metals, mixed media, painting, photography, portfolio, printmaking, and sculpture.

Senior Emaly Garrett received a Silver Key in the Scholastic Art Awards for her portfolio. "I didn't have a plan when I was making some of these pieces, and then I decided my idea was lastingness because most of my work is of my family," Emaly explained. After graduating, Emaly plans to attend Eastern Michigan University to major in arts and entertainment management, minor in arts and marketing, and play lacrosse.

Senior Cassie Meck received an American Visions nomination and a Gold Key in the Scholastic Art Awards for her ceramics piece. She made a canopic jar, a type of vessel used by ancient Egyptians to contain mummified organs. Based on this tradition, Cassie made her piece in remembrance of her grandfather who died last year. She filled the base of the jar with dead flowers she kept from her grandfather's funeral, and in the hollowed head on the top of the jar, she planted a flower. "I just like that sometimes imperfections are what makes art so perfect, and someone else's art is just as beautiful as yours even if it's so different," said Cassie.

Junior Nicholas Immel received a Gold Lancaster County Young Artist Award in jewelry and metalsmithing for a bracelet he made. "I like the idea that you can portray whatever you want to out of art," he commented. "You can really put any emotion you want into it, and ... what emotion you put in can change the outcome quite a lot."

Senior Hollyn Miller has been awarded the Mitch Lyons Clay Scholarship, which was established by Red Raven Art Company and is given each year in memory of local ceramic artist Mitch Lyons. Hollyn will show at Red Raven as the emerging artist during August. "I'd like to thank our art department," stated Hollyn. "We have such a good program, and none of this would be possible without my teachers."

In addition to Emaly, Cassie, Nicholas, and Hollyn, award winners were Maya Bowman, Nathan Romero, Abigail Crump, Sophia Altobello, Bella Kennel, Anna Penry, Kira Fritz, Emma Colon, Hannah Brodersen, Radyja Manuela Nascimento de Lima, Madison McClune, Olivia McKinney, Chloe Beatty, Trinity Shirey, Skylar Sadaphal, Ellie Martin, Jessica Salgado, John Hansen, Lana Dyer, Emily Loraw, Riley Stoltzfus, and Maggie Swarr.

The work of students who received Scholastic Art Awards will be displayed at the Demuth Museum, 120 E. King St., Lancaster, from Saturday, March 12, to Sunday, April 24. The work of students who received Lancaster County Young Artist Awards will be exhibited at the Lancaster Museum of Art, 135 N. Lime St., Lancaster, from Thursday, March 10, to Sunday, April 24.

To learn more about the Scholastic Art Awards, visit http://www.artandwriting.org. For more information about the Lancaster County Young Artist Awards, visit http://www.demuth.org/exhibitions-lma/lcya-2022.