Three members of the DHS National Art Honor Society received recognition for their artwork in the prestigious national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Viviana Campoverde, senior, won a Gold Key for her digital art piece “Flower Child,” Madison Read, senior, won a Gold Key for her comic art piece “Waking Up,” and Anna Spaulding, junior, won a Silver Key for her digital art piece “Chimera Karaoke.”

“I’m always very proud when DHS students are recognized by Scholastic. It is highly selective and being acknowledged with an award means that the students are the most skilled and talented in the state and country,” said Dr. Michael Obre, head of the Art Department.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has two rounds. In the first round, the artists submit their pieces to the Connecticut Art Region for a chance to be awarded a Gold Key, Silver Key, or an Honorable Mention.

A Gold Key is awarded to pieces according to the organization that “are the very best works submitted.” A Silver Key is awarded to pieces that “demonstrate exceptional ability.” An Honorable Mention is awarded to pieces that “show great skill and potential.”

Winners of all levels, families, and their art teachers from the Connecticut Art Region were invited to the Connecticut Regional Awards Celebration in the Lincoln Theater at University of Hartford on Jan. 27 to celebrate their achievement. Their artwork was also put on display at the Silpe Gallery at University of Hartford  through Feb. 1.

This year Hartford Art School awarded anyone with a Gold Key a $20,000 per year scholarship that is renewable all four years.

In the second round, Gold Key pieces are then considered for national awards by a committee of more than 100 people. The Gold Medal pieces are awarded for “the most outstanding works in the nation.” The Silver Medal pieces are awarded for “works demonstrating high honors on the national level.”

Gold and Silver Medal recipients have their work showcased at two locations in New York City: Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery, and at Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at The New School.

To submit artwork, competitors must have a teacher sponsor their work. Art teacher Kymberly Noone sponsored Read and Spaulding’s winning artwork while colleague Kerri Swenson sponsored Campoverde’s winning artwork. Noone and Swenson also attended the ceremony where the competitors were recognized.

Campoverde’s digital art piece “Flower Child” was inspired by Swenson. “She assigned the project as an extra credit assignment in Introduction to Digital Arts. I turned it in and she encouraged me to keep working on it and submit it,” Campoverde said.

Swenson, who has taught Campoverde in Introduction to Digital Arts and had her as a YPP in the same class a year later, admired the piece.

“It’s amazing the way she was able to capture the light falling on the child’s face. She is persistent and she doesn’t give up in her artwork. When she can’t do something she practices it over and over again until she masters it. She also sees differently. From the beginning she could see the higher level concepts in art,” Swenson said.

Campoverde began art when she was 11 or 12. She enjoyed it so much she never noticed when it started becoming serious. She was featured in the Brookfield Art Show last year and will be featured again this year.

She plans to continue art in the future. Next year, she will be attending either Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Mass., or Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. At the moment, she plans to study art education.

Read’s comic art piece “Waking Up” was inspired by a story she has been working on for several years. “I wanted to make a visual representation of the story. I captured the scene where the girl is waking up from an unusual dream,” Read said.

Noone, who has taught Read in Studio Art 2, Studio Art 3, and AP Studio Art, admired Read’s piece. “It’s comic art so it has a whole story being told within three panels. As much as I can teach them, they can teach me. I appreciate how she’s taken many concepts we have learned in class and apply them to her own artwork. She’s extremely creative and is always coming up with new ideas,” Noone said.

Read started creating art before high school. In middle school, she taught herself several concepts in art. In the past her artwork has been featured in several galleries and shows including the Brookfield Art Show.

Read also plans to continue art in the future. Next year, she will be attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She is deciding between studying illustration, cartooning, and animation.

Spaulding’s digital art piece “Chimera Karaoke” was inspired by her love of digital art. “I love digital art because it is something I can do anywhere. Digital Art allows me to get my ideas down quickly.”

Noone, who has taught Spaulding for three years and will teach her again next year, admired her piece. “I really liked the creativity and digital art aspects behind it. She has pushed the boundaries of something that is not taught in the classroom.”

Spaulding has been creating art for as long as she can remember. In the past her artwork has been featured in The Danbury Celebration of Arts.

Spaulding is taking AP Studio Art again next year. This is a class that is allowed to be repeated as long as students come up with a new idea for a portfolio. In the future Spaulding hopes to an illustrator.

Overall, getting honored for these awards is an experience they’ll never forget. “It was so cool at the ceremony to see their art on display. It was an unforgettable moment for the artists,” Swenson said.