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Exciting News from ESACA

Exciting News from ESACA

Our students and graduates are not just coping – they are thriving!

We have broken two ESACA records this year.

The School of Visual Art in New York (SVA) offers a very limited number of their most prestigious entrance award, the Silas H. Rhodes Scholarship, to students globally. Our previous record was six in one season. So far this year, ten of our grade 12’s have been offered Silas Rhodes Scholarships, totalling approximately one million dollars CDN.

Two grade 12 students have broken our record for initial scholarship offers, with current totals at +/- $1.3 million dollars CDN. We still have several weeks before all initial offers have been received, and other students are not far off that number as well. For context, our final total for all offers to all students participating in Portfolio Day 1 came in just over $1.2 million CDN. Congratulations to all our grade 12’s on your amazing work. Things will start to get busy now as we negotiate additional financial support.

Other News
Grade 11 ESACA student Dessa Ely in exhibiting in Ryerson University’s Seeking the Periphery Exhibition which can be found online here – Congratulations Dessa!
https://dasxhibitions.ca/
https://dasxhibitions.ca/Dessa-Ely

Dessa Ely has also been selected to participate in Alberta University of the Arts annual Show Off exhibition. Dessa is now eligible to receive cash awards which will be announced on March 24. Dessa’s work can be seen here:
https://www.auarts.ca/dessa-ely

Grade 10 Jane Forrest is also in Show Off this year and her work can be seen here:
https://www.auarts.ca/jane-forrest

Seven of our grade 12 students were selected to participate in the Alberta University of the Arts Show Off exhibition. Amelia Bidini-Taylor, Andrew Conway, Anika Poch-McKee, Calla Soderholm, Jessica Jiang, Lola White, and Violet Kumagai are all now eligible for significant scholarship from the school. Their work can be seen here:
https://www.auarts.ca/amelia-bidini-taylor
https://www.auarts.ca/andrew-conway
https://www.auarts.ca/anika-poch-mckee
https://www.auarts.ca/calla-soderholm
https://www.auarts.ca/jessica-jiang
https://www.auarts.ca/lola-white
https://www.auarts.ca/violet-kumagai

ESACA grade 10 students Olivia Joseph, Jane Forrest, Grace Tucker-Pieczonk, grade 11 student Ammna Atta, grade 12 students Jessica Jiang, Anika Poch-McKee, and grads Sadie Levine, Shane Ackerley, and Sarah Johnston have been included in Queen’s University’s Ultraviolet Magazine this spring which can be accessed here:
https://www.ultravioletmag.com/look
https://www.ultravioletmag.com/read
https://www.ultravioletmag.com/recite

Ammna Atta has also been selected to sit on the curatorial board for the Albright Knox Gallery’s annual Future Curators exhibition for 2021. Bravo all!

Huge congratulations to grade 12 Kate Snider for receiving a Scholastic Art and Writing National Gold Medal in New York this week. The Scholastic Awards are the world’s largest high school art competition. Congratulations as well go to Silver Medal winners Miguel Caba, Dessa Ely, Mary French, Monet Parker, and Evelyn Novak.

Graduate Keiran Brennan Hinton, whose painting of his mother graces the door of room 100 and graduated from his undergrad at Pratt University and his MFA at Yale University. continues to build a remarkable career, with dealers in three countries and counting and several shows a year. Keiran is featured in the April edition of House and Home Magazine (photos attached), and his website can be found here: https://www.keiranbrennanhinton.com/ Congratulations Keiran!

Graduate Stephanie Cristello is publishing two books this year, while continuing her role as Editor-in-Chief of Chicago’s Seen Magazine, changing roles to become the Artistic Advisor for Chicago’s Art Fair Expo Chicago, and maintaining her position as Director and Curator of the Chicago contemporary art gallery Chicago Manual Style. For information on her books and international curatorial work, Stephanie’s website is: http://www.stephaniecristello.com/ Congratulations Stephanie!

We are always seeking donations to support the program and its students and will happily provide a tax receipt when donations are made through the tdsb via this link by clicking here

Thank you all so very much!

M Varey