“Our art programs are an immense source of pride for the Johnston High School community,” said Zachary Farrell, the school’s principal. “The sheer amount of talent that they harness is truly impressive. We have a thriving arts community in the town and I am happy to see JHS students in the vanguard.”
Laura Wilson, a junior on Cherry Hill, is indeed at the forefront of student art in Johnston.
Sunday, she was announced as the top winner in U.S. Rep. James Langevin’s 16th annual Congressional Art Competition, which drew entries from approximately 70 students in the Second Congressional District.
All of the work was displayed over the weekend at the Warwick Mall.
“This is special, just like all of Laura’s work,” Kerry Murphy, a Johnston High art teacher and fine arts co-chair, said after Langevin announced Wilson as the first-place winner.
Just a few weeks ago, Wilson won several honors in the Rhode Island Art Association’s annual statewide contest. She was also one of seven Johnston High students whose entries in Langevin’s contest received rave reviews from a panel of three judges, who found selecting winners so challenging they added four honorable mention awards.
The judges described Wilson’s winning entry, entitled “Fading Memories,” as “extremely profound and “very moving.”
“Fading Memories,” Murphy later explained, “was a pencil drawing inspired by surrealist art exemplars, including Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. This artwork also had a challenge of adding at least one organic shape from the prior assignment. Laura added multiple shapes as imagery for the framed artwork behind the couch.”
Wilson will have her first-place piece professionally framed, and it will hang in the U.S. Capitol for a year. She also will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., and a 40-percent discount on all art supplies from Jerry’s Artarama if she attends school in Rhode Island.
Chanel Khoury of La Salle Academy in Providence won second-place honors for her piece “Silent Tension,” while Christina Abramson of Toll Gate High School in Warwick took third-place honors for her piece “Worth a Second Thought.”
Honorable mentions were awarded to David Cuellar of Barrington Christian Academy; Heather DiFazio and Anita Fang, both from Cranston High School West; and Cameron John Frazier from Coventry High School.
The other Johnston High students who participated, and their works, were Kristiana Parrillo, “Caution”; Nour Abaherah, “Salt and Suga”; Erica Tedesco, “Displacement”; Matthew Montgomery, “La Grande Fugai La Grande”; Alejandra Faella, “The All Seeing Eye”; and Morgan O’Reilly, “Untitled.”
Sarah Hale Folger, one of three judges, explained: “We judged based on skill, content, and emotional response – in other words, how well skilled was the artist, did the work tell a compelling story, and did that story move us enough to want to talk about it, and did it change us in some way by viewing it.”
Alexandria Johnston, a nationally recognized photographer with the Survivor Series, and Anthony Tomaselli, a member of the Providence Art Club whose works are on display throughout the state, were the other two judges.
Langevin, meanwhile, told those on hand: “As far as I am concerned, you are all winners. Your works were outstanding, and you should all be very proud of what you accomplished.
“When I started this competition I was blown away by the talent in the Second District,” he continued. “A lot has changed in Congress during that time, but this much remains true – we have incredibly creative students in Rhode Island. This year’s batch of participants really raises the bar, and I am proud of all of you for pursuing your passion and for putting yourself out there.”
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