On Sunday evening, the Old Sculpin Gallery hosted their annual student scholarship art show. Each year the Edgartown gallery chooses two graduating seniors and an alternate, providing them with college scholarships and an exhibition at the start of the summer season.
This year’s winners are Lulu White and Nyoka Walters, as well as alternate Zak Potter.
At the gallery on Sunday, the students showcased a wide array of their work, ranging from flower-pressed ceramics to colorfully beaded jewelry to engaging sports photography.
Ms. White comes from a family of artists and art lovers. She said she has been keeping a sketchbook and creating her own work since she was in sixth grade. Throughout high school, she explored and began engaging with different artistic mediums, including pottery and ceramics.
“A lot of the pieces I chose for this exhibition are very inspired by nature,” Ms White said. “The environment is one of the things that brings me the most joy and is also something I’m very passionate about, and so a lot of my artwork tends to take inspiration from nature and the things around me in general.”
Ms. White’s paintings and ceramic work largely featured the vibrant colors and textures of nature and the Island, meshing two of her greatest passions. Next year, she intends to further examine these relationships as a studio art and environmental studies dual major at Bennington College.
Nyoka Walters, similarly, draws inspiration from her everyday life and personal identity.
Ms. Walters said that as a black female artist, she likes to create pieces that reflect who she is and the stories she carries. Her paintings and jewelry are made from repurposed materials and bold imagery to celebrate resilience and heritage.
“The paintings are inspired by my love for my identity because I wasn’t always proud of that, especially when I moved to the Island for the first time” she said. “It was really hard coming from a really diverse place.”
Next year, Ms. Walters will attend Temple University to study art history. She hopes to one day become a museum educator or own her own museum.
“I think museums are really important, and they definitely need more credit,” she said. “They really teach our young kids about a lot of things, and a lot of kids have formative experiences in museums.”
Scholarship committee co-chairs Melinda Fager and Karen Morgenbesser said that the selection process this year was especially difficult as many students are looking to pursue art beyond high school. Ms. Fager and Ms. Morgenbesser said the selected students stood out for their creativity, color and imaginations.
Ms. Fager added that providing the opportunity for young artists to exhibit their work is integral to the mission of the Old Sculpin Gallery.
“It was a part of our original founder’s mission to not only represent the arts to the whole community, but to nurture artists from high school going into college, and that was something from the very beginning that was part of this art association,” she said.
For more information on upcoming receptions and exhibitions, visit oldsculpingallery.org.
Comments
Comment policy »