The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) announced today the top 15 finalists for its 2019 Art Contest.
The finalists – five juniors and 10 seniors – will be honored at the Scholarship Award Ceremony on March 30 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and share $45,000 in college scholarships. Immediately following, the 15 winning entries will travel on public view for one year as an exhibition at museums and cultural venues across Louisiana.
The school with the most artwork submissions will also be awarded a $1,000 art kit for the school’s art program at the Scholarship Award Ceremony for submitting the largest number of contest entries.
This year marks the foundation’s 10th statewide art contest. GRFA received over 740 submissions from high school juniors and seniors across Louisiana, the highest number of contest submissions to date.
2019 Art Contest Finalists:
Juniors:
- Abby Hayes, St. Scholastica Academy, Covington
- Lauren Baquet, St. Thomas More High School, Lafayette
- Greyson Dutile, Southside High School, Youngsville
- Zoe Treitler, Lakeshore High School, Mandeville
- Caroline Dazzio, St. Joseph’s Academy, Baton Rouge
Seniors:
- Lauren Diaz, Christian Life Academy, Baton Rouge
- Madelyn Galatas, St. Thomas More High School, Lafayette
- Raine Wyandon, Zachary High School, Zachary
- Anna Claire Graham, Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport
- Logan Babin, Vanderbilt Catholic High School, Houma
- Ben Leethy, Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport
- My-Nhi Nguyen, Thomas Jefferson High School for Advanced Studies, Gretna
- Maddie Toler, St. Joseph’s Academy, Baton Rouge
- Abbygail Nickels, Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport
- Gabrielle Boutte, St. Thomas More High School, Lafayette
- Yilin Zheng, Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Baton Rouge
- Katherine Taylor, St. Thomas More High School, Lafayette
This year’s Art Contest theme, the Cosmos, was a constant source of mystery and inspiration for Rodrigue. During his decades-long career, Rodrigue interpreted his fascination with the universe through the swirl or spiral symbol, which embodied the intangible concepts of hope, creativity, energy, and infinity.
Artwork was judged by 10 artists and industry representatives from around the state on the following three criteria: Concept/Design (Does the artwork address the theme in a clear and inventive way?), Technical Skill (Does the artwork show an understanding of visual art principles such as use of color, shading, light, and form?) and Creativity (Does the artwork showcase an original point of view? Does it provide a fresh perspective on the theme?).
This year’s award ceremony will take place on March 30 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and is sponsored by Cox Communications, New Orleans Auction House, Jones Walker, and several other local businesses and patrons. Finalists will be awarded 1st – 15th place and receive scholarships based on place: $6,000 for 1st place, $5,500 for 2nd place, etc.
Courtesy The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts
Founded by artist George Rodrigue in 2009, the annual contest has received over 6,200 entries from across Louisiana and awarded a combined $411,500 in scholarships to 151 students.
For more information on the GRFA 2019 Arts Contest, visit www.georgerodriguefoundation.org.
