Montfort Academy Junior Wins Regional Art Exhibition

Mount Vernon NY

17 February, 2021

4:29 PM

Description

Mount Vernon, N.Y. (February 2021) — Concordia College’s OSilas Gallery declared Montfort Academy junior Lucia Bautista a winner in its15th annual StArt 2021 Regional High School Student Art Exhibition. Bautista, of Mount Vernon, was one of five students who won the competition. Her winning work was Inspiration ‘21, a charcoal drawing on paper. This is the second year in a row that she has won the competition. The OSilas Gallery organizes its annual StArt exhibition to encourage and support high school artists by giving them the opportunity to showcase their work in a professional setting and build their credentials and portfolios for college. Art faculty from each of the 21 participating high schools are allowed to select up to three works for inclusion in the exhibition. The exhibition is juried by a panel of five art professionals, and certificates of excellence are given to top entries. “We were delighted to learn that Lucia’s work was deemed one of the best in show,” said Siobhan Schenk, leader of the school’s art club. “The Montfort Academy’s focus is academic excellence, but our educators recognize that a complete high school education includes the arts and sports. Lucia’s artistic accomplishment is yet more evidence that our school can compete with any public or private high school in our region.” Montfort juniors Brian Mahaney and Malena Sullivan also contributed to the exhibition. The panel of judges for StArt 2021 comprised Nelle Davis, an artist and an instructor at OSilas Art Studio; Randy Frost, an acclaimed fiber artist; Amie Hollmann, Adjunct Professor of New Media and Associate Director of Creative Services at Concordia College; Charles Little, Curator Emeritus at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters; and Nancy Little, former Director of the National Academy School of Fine Art (New York City). “Lucia’s recognition demonstrates how Montfort students are engaged in a way that many students are not in the COVID environment,” said Richard Greco, Montfort’s president. “This can be seen in our recent play The Frogs, club activities, our Schola Cantorum choir and this art show. The goal of all these activities is to develop young people who are present, confident and engaged.” The Montfort Academy is small Roman Catholic high school focusing on subjects that have disappeared from today's classrooms—astronomy, international relations, civics and logic. The school teaches in the Socratic method—the same method used by many law and medical schools—and it focuses on character development. Photo caption: The winning art submission by Lucia Bautista Contact: Ernie [email protected]