Artwork of 2 Minnetonka High School Students Honored at Carnegie Hall

Two Minnetonka High School students will have their artwork honored at Carnegie Hall in May.

​Victoria Niu and Tori Williams will be awarded Gold Medals in the National Scholastic Art Competition.

National Gold Medals are given to student artists judged to have the most outstanding works in the nation. National Medalists will be celebrated at a prestigious Carnegie Hall ceremony on May 31, and their work will be showcased in The National Exhibition at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.

"My inspiration came from my memories of being in the city on a rainy day. I wanted the painting to be of a rainy day in old times. I wanted to capture the sensory images: the smell of rain, how the lights are blurred and the ground glows and reflects the particles. It’s almost dreamlike," said Victoria, who is also the vice president of the National Art Honor Society at Minnetonka High School.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Visual Arts teacher Melanie Mozingo commented on Niu's unique perspective. "Victoria brings a different awareness to her art, especially how she sees things and represents them. There is a strong sense of narrative in her work."

"Our assignment was to create a detailed pencil drawing. We could draw anything that interested us. I’ve always liked drawing, especially eyes, so I chose an eye as my subject," said Tori. "When I received a Gold Key Award, I went to the ceremony and the art exhibit, and it was really cool. Now, it’s exciting to receive the National Scholastic Art Gold Medal." 

"The things that make Tori a great student artist are her creativity and her attention to detail. She is meticulous with her work and absorbs any information she can get her hands on to make her work better," said her Drawing II teacher Steve Nugent.  

In January, 11 Minnetonka High School students and 1 Middle School East student earned a total of 22 Scholastic Art Awards this year, including 10 Gold Key, 4 Silver Key and 8 Merit Awards at the Regional Scholastic Art Awards.

Both Victoria Niu and Tori Williams received Gold Key Awards for their work which were displayed at the College of Visual Arts Gallery in St. Paul. The Gold Key is the highest level of achievement on a regional level. Students who receive Gold Keys on the regional level are automatically included in judging for national-level recognition.

About the Scholastic Art & Writing Award Ceremony

National Medalists are invited to New York City to receive recognition on the country’s most celebrated stage—Carnegie Hall—as part of the annual National Awards Ceremony. The ceremony includes special guest speakers and performers, as well as achievement awards presented to prominent past winners of the Scholastic Awards.

For the first time ever, in celebration of its 90th anniversary, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards will webcast the National Awards Ceremony live from Carnegie Hall on May 31 at 5:00 p.m. CT. Click here to receive updates about this one-time-only, live webcast.

The National Exhibition at Parsons The New School for Design will open on Saturday, June 1 and feature Portfolio Gold Medals, Silver Medals With Distinction, Gold Medals, New York Life Award Winners, Creativity & Citizenship Winners. American Visions and Voices Medalists will be featured at The Pratt Manhattan Gallery.