The Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards: A Student’s Perspective

[caption id="attachment_3753" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="2012 Best Portfolio Kyle Owens “Commitment”"]

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The Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards has been something I’ve looked forward to every year of high school. I always try to greatly improve my artwork and advance my concepts to enter for the following year. Winning a gold key is so exciting, and the chance to have my work in an exhibition at the Brooks is such an unbelievable opportunity.

[caption id="attachment_3755" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="2010 Best in Show, Senior Division, Kyle Owens, “Alone . . . “"]

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I can remember my art teacher looking at some of my work during my freshman year and telling me about Scholastic. He advised me to do a piece specifically for it. I wanted it to be better than anything I had previously done. This resulted in me obsessing over one drawing the entire semester only for it to not win anything. After this, I began working much harder with art and striving to be better. Soon everything I did involved art. I was constantly thinking about it and just wanted to be the best I could possibly be.

[caption id="attachment_3757" align="aligncenter" width="220" caption="“Forgotten” (this painting also received an American Visions nomination), Kyle Owens"]

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Now I’m in my senior year in high school and have won several Scholastic awards the past three years including “Best-in-Show” my sophomore year, “Best Drawing” my junior year, and “Best Portfolio” this year. These accomplishments have been such an honor and I’m very grateful that there is a contest like this that honors all the young artists around the Mid-South.

[caption id="attachment_3759" align="aligncenter" width="238" caption="2011 Drawing Award, Senior Division, Kyle Owens, “Vanity”"]

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Next fall I plan on attending Memphis College of Art while continuing to hone every aspect of my art. Hopefully after college I will be able to make a living doing what I enjoy the most and continue doing so for the rest of my life.

-Kyle Owens