Post 466: Scholarships Presented to PWC High School Students 2024

PWAS Scholarships Presented to Two PWC High School Students 2024

Monday, May 27, 2024. Once every year in spring, the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) meets to celebrate the Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship winners that went through a lengthy selection process and are presented as our special guests along with their friends, family and teachers at our monthly meeting.

PWAS Meeting with their Very Special Guests

On Monday night two talented young artists, Allyson Burke and Zeenat Ameri received certificates of achievement and award checks of $1,000 each to apply toward their pursuit of a degree in Fine Art. Elizabeth Stathis, Prince William Art Society President, presented the awards on behalf of Jewell Pratt Burns who was unable to attend.  

Allyson, who has graduated from Colgan High School's program in Fine Arts, will attend JMU in their Art Department, with a major in Fine Art and minor in Art History as well as working toward a teaching certificate. Zeenat, who has graduated from Battlefield High School with a senior year emphasis in the digital arts, will attend Northern Virginia Community College for two years in a program which will lead to completing her final two years of a Fine Art degree at VCU. She hopes to pursue a career in digital art, with a possibility of a career in commercial art. 

PWAS Scholarship Committee members Emily Hawes and Madeline Winslow were joined this year by Evelyn Chatters, Sylvester Harriett, and Ana Quispe who brought experience and a variety of skills to the panel. It is an honor to be able to meet these young artists, help them along the next step in their path, and know their creativity will enrich other lives for years to come. We wish Allyson and Zeenat success in their future art endeavors!

PWAS members and special guests enjoyed the celebration with refreshments and their "scholarship cake" and enjoyed the young, up-and-coming artists and their artwork for the first part of the meeting, then later had their regular meeting, catching up on new business and upcoming shows and events. Here are some pictures of this special evening.

 

Allyson Burke

 

Zeenat Ameri and Elizabeth Stathis

 

Allyson Burke and Zeenat Ameri with their certificates and their Scholarship Checks

 

Allyson Burke and Elizabeth Stathis

 

Allyson Burke

 

Allyson Burke

 

PWAS Board Members with Scholarship Winners (L-R) - Tom Payne (Member at Large, Mark Murphy (Treasurer), Zeenat Ameri, Bettie Sperty (Secretary), Sandra McClelland Lewin (Vice President), Allyson Burke, Elizabeth Stathis (President)

 

 

Zeenat Ameri

 

Zeenat Ameri and Elizabeth Stathis

 

Mark Clifton and Tom Payne

 

Emily Hawes

 

A brief history...

 

Zeenat Ameri and family

 

Allyson Burke and family

 

Allyson Burke and her art teacher!

Emily Hawes

 

Tom and Betty

 

Elizabeth, Tom and Emily

 

Donna Liguria and Elena Jochum

 

Betty Sperty and Evelyn Chatters

 

Terry Sandin and Allyson Burke

 

David Dillon and Tom Payne

Congratulations and good luck in all of your future endeavors, Allyson and Zeenat!

To learn more about the Prince William Art Society's annual Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship, please see on our website https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/scholarships and see the History and Donate buttons.

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Author: Emily Hawes

 

Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits:
Larry Burch and Ana Quispe

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Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Post 464: Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship Awards 2024

Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship Awards 2024

The monthly meetings of the Prince William Art Society in May of every year is typically a different type of program than our usual art group gathers for of guest speaker and meeting notes. There is cake. There is ice cream. There is celebration of the Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship winners. The future of art.

Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship Awards

by Emily Hawes

Think about how much fun it is when your work is selected... when you are selected! Chosen because someone appreciates your art work, your effort and your skill.

Now think about being in high school, facing the end of your senior year, and planning your future. Pretty exciting and scary, right? All of a sudden your life is filled with applications and interviews: Maybe college applications, maybe summer jobs, internships, scholarships.

Sometimes you're just not right for an opportunity, or it's just not right for you. And then you're chosen for some: You've been accepted to a college, you win a scholarship... because someone thinks you have the talent to succeed in the future you've decided to commit yourself to working toward. What powerful votes of confidence those are, and with meaningful help at this pivotal time.

Each year our membership provides the Jewell Pratt Burns scholarship to help one or two students pursue their dream of getting a degree in the Fine Arts or in Art Education, to increase their opportunities for working in the Fine Art field. Come to the general membership meeting on May 27th and help celebrate our student scholarship winners. Support them as they receive their awards, talk with them and their families over cake and ice cream, and enjoy being a part of this celebration.

Membership meetings are held at the Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr., Lakeridge, VA 22192. Meetings start at 7:30 pm. All programs are free and open to the public, who are cordially invited to attend.

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Author: Emily Hawes

 

Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Post 353: Prince William Art Society Scholarship Award Night

Prince William Art Society Scholarship Award Night

Monday, May 22, 2023 7:30 pm This month's Prince William Art Society meeting was our annual Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship Award night, giving a $1000 Scholarship to high school senior Awaneh Sawaneh. This is our 14th year celebrating our PWAS Scholarship awarding ceremony.

Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship

Jewell Pratt Burns is an original founding member of the PWAS which began in 1971. The Scholarship Program was named after Jewell and is awarded each year to one or two Prince William County High School seniors (except for in 2020 and 2021) that are graduating and continuing their education in the arts. 

Here are some pictures from Monday's award ceremony.

 

Ana Quispe (PWAS President), Jewell Pratt Burns (PWAS Scholarship namesake) and Awaneh Sawaneh, the 2023 PWAS Scholarship Award Winner

 

 

Jim Gallagher's wife gave PWAS an oil painting by her husband, a long-time member of PWAS and the Scholarship Program

 

 

Jewell Pratt Burns

Find out more about our annual scholarship program at  https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/scholarships-outreach

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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits: 

Ana Quispe and Donna Liguria

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Post 295: An Art Scholarship too!

An Art Scholarship too!

Did you know the Prince William Art Society has a scholarship for high school seniors? That's right - not only does PWAS offer opportunities for local artists like gallery and show participation and programs for enrichment, PWAS offers a scholarship for talented Prince William County students planning to pursue degrees in art or art education.

The Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship from the Prince William Art Society

The Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship has been being offered continuously (except for 2020 and 2021 when CV-19 interrupted public life) since 2008! Each year either one or two graduating seniors has been presented with a $1,000 award to help them get started on their creative journeys.

Before that presentation in May however, each one had to be accepted into a two or four year college art program, put together a portfolio selected from their work, and submit it with a letter of recommendation from one of their art instructors as well as their own essay about why they should be selected for the award.

Founder Alice LaBier and three early 2008 committee members: Jewell Pratt Burns, Jim Gallagher, Fran Pennington

The PWAS Scholarship Committee meets to review the application packages and makes tentative decisions, but it's not uncommon for those initial choices to be entirely upended by the next step - the student interviews. Each student takes twenty minutes to talk about their art, their challenges and their aspirations. This is the moment when they can go beyond the finite visual achievements spread across the table to talk about what they are reaching for in those works, to show how their skills have grown and continue to grow, and to personalize their package.

The Committee works hard to ensure the entire process is a positive learning experience for students. If we're successful, the one or two students chosen for the monetary award each year aren't the only ones to benefit. We try to leave each student ready to go into their next interview or job application with a bit more confidence. Regardless of the outcome of the award choice, a letter is sent to each student - as well as one to their recommending teacher - with feedback, and thanking them for coming. The thanks are entirely sincere. It really is a privilege to hear their stories, experience their earnestness, and see through their eyes the exciting creative futures they plan.

                         

This year, a $1,000 scholarship will be offered again to each of up to two students. Any Prince William County student in 12th grade, in any public or private school, or who is home schooled and going to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts or Art Education can apply. The application, deadlines and addresses are available online and should be consulted for details on the requirements and procedures for entry: PWAS website Scholarship and Outreach   

Prince William Art Society's Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship is entirely funded by donations, and the community has shown enthusiasm over the years for supporting artistically talented youth. A donation box in the Open Space Arts gallery at the Stonebridge Shopping Center (15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA) feeds into the scholarship savings account, and many individuals donate there. Other individuals and groups have donated directly, as well. PWAS is grateful to all the donors who have helped Prince William County youth afford to pursue a career in the arts.    

This year, the Prince William Art Society is especially grateful to two direct donors:  Ms. Judy Gallagher made a donation in memory of Jim Gallagher, artist, beloved PWAS member, and active participant on the Scholarship Committee over the years. On behalf of Visual Expressions, a group of artists in the over-55 community of Four Seasons, Sandra McClelland Lewin presented the balance of their operating fund upon disbanding this year. The group wanted to ensure the funds would go to support the visual arts in Prince William County.

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Author: Emily Hawes
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!