CRAFTSBURY – Two Craftsbury Academy students, Lillian Allen (12) and Kosmos Gletsos (11, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center), are among 167 young artists and writers from across Vermont who have been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for exceptional artistic and literary talent.
photo montage courtesy Craftsbury Academy
Both Allen and Gletsos received Gold Key Awards for their artistic work. Allen is one of three seniors statewide who were awarded Gold Keys for their writing portfolios (collections of six works). Gletsos received his Gold Key for photography.
Allen’s portfolio will now be entered into consideration for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards’ highest honor, a Portfolio Gold Medal, 16 of which will be awarded nationwide in both art and writing. Winners of Portfolio Gold Medals receive scholarship awards of $12,500.
Reflecting on connecting themes in her portfolio, Allen shared, “The pieces connect in the sense that they are stories I felt were missing from the shelves. There is a little bit of me in everything I write, so they are also all connected in that way, too.” She added, “As for the most meaningful piece to me, it is probably “Burning Betrayal” because it is the piece I’m the most proud of, and the one that I had the most fun writing.”
Allen also credits her Vermont roots as an influence on her storytelling. “I feel like there are definitely elements of Vermont that have affected my writing. The most obvious case being in Big Poppy, where I wrote about a hunting trip up in Maine. While not taking place in Vermont, it has family traditions, superstitions, and is written through the eyes of someone born and raised here.”
Reflecting on his work, Gletsos shared, “I love taking photos of things that inspire me and having the ability to create my own environments. I’m especially passionate about using the sky to outline my subjects, keeping as much detail as possible in the clouds to make my photos more compelling. Color is also something I pay close attention to; I try to capture scenes with more interesting and dynamic color palettes than usual.”
The students’ award-winning writing and artwork will be exhibited at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center from February 20 to March 6. An awards ceremony will take place at the museum Saturday, March 7, at noon, where Allen will read an excerpt from “Burning Betrayal.” Gletsos hopes to attend, pending any schedule conflicts. The ceremony is free and open to the public, and doors open at 10 a.m. Cartoonist and illustrator Harry Bliss will deliver the keynote address.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is a national recognition program for aspiring visual artists and writers. Each year, students in grades 7 to 12 are invited to submit art and writing in dozens of categories, including ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, poetry, science fiction and personal essay/memoir. Submissions are judged on a statewide level, with the top award winners then considered for national awards, including college scholarships, museum exhibitions and publication opportunities.
A list of all Vermont award winners (Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention) is posted at brattleboromuseum.org. National awards will be announced in June.
Since its founding in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have helped launch the careers of Truman Capote, Lena Dunham, Stephen King, Sylvia Plath, John Updike and Andy Warhol, among many others.
