The 2006 Culture Shapers Visual Arts Awards Banquet, Wednesday, November 29th, 2006
Out of 1,350 entrants, six high school students from the greater Houston area have been selected as grand prize winners in the seventh annual Culture Shapers visual arts competition, which awarded nearly $84,000 to 73 teenagers at a November 29 ceremony. The grand prize winners in each of the contest’s seven categories each received checks for $5,000, and dozens of other finalists received cash awards ranging from $250 to $2,500. The competition’s seven categories include Drawing, Electronic Media, Film, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography and Sculpture.
Brendan Moody, a Cy-Fair High School senior, won first place in both Electronic Media and Photography, making him the competition’s first-ever double grand prize winner. He received $10,000.
Top honors also went to Spring High School senior Ioana Manolache, who took home $5,250 by winning both the grand prize in Painting and seventh place in Drawing. Last year’s grand prize winner in Painting, Manolache has placed in the competition for four consecutive years. This year’s winnings bring her grand total to $10,850, setting the second-highest record for total winnings in the competition’s history.
“While athletics and natural sciences garner much of the attention and reward in our schools, we feel it is equally important that students are encouraged to pursue careers in the visual and performing arts,” said Ernie Fitzpatrick, Culture Shapers founder and president. “We can make an investment in the lives of our young men and women that will help propel them in their careers, and encourage them to become the ‘culture shapers’ of the next generation.”
“We believe that the study of the arts promotes excellence in every area of a young person’s life,” said A. Steve Arizpe, executive vice president, client services and chief operating officer of Administaff, one of the competition’s sponsors. “These young artists have a wealth of talent, and we at Administaff are committed to providing opportunities for them to pursue their goals as artists.”
Five other students placed in two categories this year: Elsik High School senior Babak Sadri (fourth place in Film and sixth place in Electronic Media), Cy-Fair High School junior Marc Drumwright (fourth place in Photography and seventh place in Electronic Media), Friendswood High School senior Bless Yee (fourth place in Mixed Media and seventh place in Painting), Bellaire High School senior Sisi Zhang (fifth place in Sculpture and sixth place in Mixed Media), and Cy-Fair High School senior Kristin LaFrate (honorable mentions in Electronic Media and Photography).
The remaining first place winners include: Painting—Autumn Farrell, a Clements High School junior; Film—Michael Wham, a home-schooled junior in The Woodlands; Mixed Media—Michael Blome, a Jersey Village High School senior; and Sculpture—Sheri Balsara, a senior at John Cooper School in The Woodlands.
Friendswood High School senior Bless Yee won the $1,000 Danny Wood “Heart in Art” Award, named in memory of Culture Shapers volunteer Danny Wood. The award recognizes a student who has overcome adversity and exemplifies leadership, service and character. In addition to being an accomplished artist, Yee is enrolled in advanced placement courses at school and is involved in many extracurricular activities, including National Honor Society, Book Club, Student Council and Technology Student’s Association. In August, Yee lost her father to cancer, which created a challenging financial situation for Yee and her mother. Scholarships are now Yee’s primary hope of attending college, aided by the $2,250 Culture Shapers prize money she received for winning the “Heart in Art” award, fourth place in Mixed Media, and seventh place in Painting.
In addition to honoring teen artists, the event also recognized a teacher and an administrator. This year’s Teacher of the Year award went to Jason Neumann, Jersey Village High School’s (JVHS) photography teacher. Neumann is that rare specimen: both a great teacher and great practitioner of his art. His photography has received multiple exhibitions across the city. He is in his tenth year of teaching at JVHS and has served at Sam Houston State University, Cy-Fair Community College, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This year’s Administrator of the Year award went to Stephen Shorter, Memorial High School principal. Shorter’s win marks the first time a principal has been selected as Administrator of the Year. He is credited with dramatically increasing the number of art classes at his school (now available from introductory level to Advanced Placement) and renovating the performing arts complex.
Cy-Fair ISD received special recognition this year for bringing home three first-place prizes and three second-place prizes. In addition, Cy-Fair High School dominated the Photography category, with seven out of the top 10 prizes.
Financial support for Culture Shapers is provided by Administaff, The Nathaniel Foundation, and GodsMoneyMan.org. Many other area businesses contribute to the program through the purchase of corporate tables at the awards banquet. The Culture Shapers visual arts contest, which is judged by arts educators and professionals, has awarded nearly $600,000 to young artists in the last seven years. Additionally, there are frequent mini-contests on the Culture Shapers Website, www.cultureshapers.com, with prizes ranging from gift certificates to cash prizes.
Click here for photos from the 2006 Visual Arts Awards Banquet!
