Four Mount St. Mary senior art students were recently awarded scholarships from the Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) despite this year’s Spring Convention being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Audrey Caruthers won the organization’s top award, the $750 Carmen “Allie” Thompson Memorial Scholarship. Also, Cecilia Ilg, Amelia Ochoa and Maria Thomas each received one of 14 additional $500 scholarships awarded by AYAA.
“Mrs. Holder and I are so proud of these students,” Marianne Nolley, MSM art teacher, exclaimed. “We are over the moon!”
Before it was canceled, nearly 100 Mount St. Mary students were set to attend the organization’s 41st annual Spring Convention and Competition on Wednesday, April 8, in downtown Little Rock. Students typically spend months preparing for the event, for which they create works of art in a wide range of mediums, styles and subjects. Last year’s participating group of students won 20 awards for excellence in the visual arts.
AYAA is a state-wide organization whose mission is to encourage participation in the visual arts by Arkansas students through professional speakers, competitions, exhibition and scholarship. There are currently more than 1,500 student members in the organization from over 60 participating high schools across the state. It annually awards a minimum of 10 $500 scholarships to senior members in good standing.
Mount St. Mary Academy, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, develops young women with a moral and intellectual foundation rooted in Catholic tradition. Mercy-minded and college-prepared, our students meet the future with wisdom, compassion and integrity.