Hampton students earn regional art awards

With a few clicks of a mouse, just about anyone can produce AI-generated art these days.

But nine Hampton Township School District students are being honored for the real thing.

On March 23, Carnegie Mellon University will host the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for the Pittsburgh region.

“For over 100 years the Scholastic Art Awards has been the most significant student art competition in the country. This is like going to a regional championships for art students,” Kate Owens, who teaches art at Hampton’s middle and high schools, said.

Senior Amanda Elstner leads the way among Hampton students with two Gold Key awards, “The Vanity Table” and “Horseshoes Hanging on a Tree Branch,” plus honorable mentions for “Mom’s Car” and “Cigarettes,” all in the mixed media category.

Other winners from Hampton High School are:

• Olivia Hoffman, 11th grade, Gold Key award for “Femininity” in the drawing and illustration category.

• Kiley Vande Geest, 12th grade, Silver Key award, “Stillness Speaks” and other work in the art portfolio category.

• Esther Cohen, 11th grade, Silver Key award, “Insomnia” in drawing and illustration.

• Madison Hurst, 12th grade, honorable mention, “The Cool Girl That Smokes” in the sculpture category.

• Ben LaRusse, 12th grade, honorable mention, “For What It’s Worth” in drawing and illustration.

• Olivia Marks, 12th grade, honorable mention, “Aladdin Sane” in mixed media.

• Sienna Lasek, 11th grade, honorable mention, “Horror Movie Night” and “Cavetown” in drawing and illustration.

• Suying Jiang, 10th grade, honorable mention, “Deep in the Forest” in drawing and illustration.

Hampton Middle School eighth grader Richard Ma won a Silver Key award for “The Right Direction” in drawing and illustration.

“These awards are the culmination of years of excellent instruction in the Hampton Art Department from elementary through high school, and the personal skills and commitment of these student artists,” Owens said. “I’m so proud of the well-deserved awards these student artists won.”