BY CATHERINE DUNCAN
Dr. Cano P. Freshman Academy students showcased their creative capabilities at the 25th annual Visual Arts Scholarship Event on March 7th, 2020.
The group of students was composed of Kaylee Hernandez, Daniela Saenz, Zoe Cisneros, Camryn Armiji, Audriana Ortega, Esmer Barerra, and Gianna Ceballos. The seven freshman girls competed among over 1,500 students, ultimately earning an unprecedented total of eight gold medals.
The Valley Arts Scholastic Event, VASE, is an elaborate art competition composed of many stages of evaluation. Students first design and develop intricate, meaningful art pieces.
Students then write about their artwork, detailing their creative process and reasoning behind integrating various artistic elements to the piece in order to convey their comprehension of visual art and understanding of their individual artwork.
Students subsequently go through an interview process where they interpret and describe their artwork to a juror. The juror evaluates these various components using a standards-based rubric, which is aligned to the AP rubric.
The Dr. Cano Freshman Academy students created artworks featuring detailed, abstract portraits set in front of landscapes. The students’ expressive pieces coupled with thorough preparation and effort allowed them to excel in all areas of competition.
Along with the gold medals, the students received the highest rating attainable at the competition: Superior.