BSM Students Receive Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts

Eleven senior high students at Benilde-St. Margaret’s were recently recognized with 2023 Minnesota Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for their original creation works in the fields of visual arts. Gold Key recipients include Genevieve Larson ’23 and Grace Ortizcazarin ’24, while Marin King ’24 and Talia Loes ’25 received Silver Key awards. Receiving honorable mentions are Luci Barranco ’26, Amelia Beutz ’23, Olivia Gorton ’24, Vivienne Larson ’23, Olivia Michael ’23, Mya Stancer ’25, and Cece Walser ’23.

“As an art department, we look forward to recognizing our student artists and the opportunity of submitting work to the annual Scholastic Art Awards,” said Kelli Rahn, chair of BSM’s visual arts department. “It is a highly selective art competition and we are proud of all of our students who put forward work for consideration whether they were recognized with an award or not.”

Photos of the student art is in the gallery at the end of this news story.

At the 2023 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards (MSAA) ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 25, Larson received two Gold Key awards for her award-winning photography submissions: “Vivienne in Venice” and “Vivienne on Film,” while Ortizcazarin received one Gold Key award for her ceramic work entitled “Smoky.” The ceremony included a Keynote address by Russ White, artist, writer, and communications specialist in the department of art at the University of Minnesota, and was held at the Weisman Art Museum on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota.

During the month of February, Larson’s and Ortizcarzarin’s Gold Key submissions were on display at the Regis West Gallery in South Minneapolis with the other winners from across the state. The works of each Gold Key winner, including Larson and Ortizcazarin, have been advanced to the National Scholastic Art Awards program for consideration. National medals and scholarship winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 22.

BSM visual arts faculty of this year’s award winners include Kelli Rahn, Zach Zimny, and Charlie Zinn. Each year, BSM’s visual art students participate in the MSAA competition, which is part of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens, established in 1923. The competition showcases the creative talents of teens in photography, ceramics, mixed media, painting, and drawing & illustrations.

Congratulations to all of BSM’s 2023 award winning artists:

Gold Key Awards
Genevieve Larson ‘23 “Vivienne in Venice” – Photography (Rahn)
Genevieve Larson ‘23 “Vivienne on Film” – Photography (Rahn)
Grace Ortizcazarin ‘24 “Smoky” – Ceramics (Zimny)

Silver Key Awards
Marin King ‘24 “Photography” – Silver Key (Rahn/Zinn)
Talia Loes ‘25 “Change the Game” – Drawing & Illustration (Zinn))
Talia Loes ‘25 “Daydreams and Rosy Cheeks” – Painting (Zinn))

Honorable Mentions
Luci Barranco ‘26 “The Way that Money Flows” – Mixed Media (Zinn))
Amelia Beutz ‘23 “Moon, Sky, and Sea” – Painting (Zinn))
Olivia Gorton ‘24 “Munea” – Ceramics (Zimny)
Olivia Michael ‘23 “How it Feels to Love” – Painting (Zinn)
Mya Stancer ‘25 “Pretty Bones” – Mixed Media (Zinn)
Cece Walser ‘23 “Nelson” – Photography (Rahn)
Vivienne Larson ‘23 “Finishing Breath” – Drawing & Illustration (Zinn)

The MSAA program is sponsored by the Art Educators of Minnesota, the Department of Art, the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota and Wet Paint Artists’ Materials and Framing of St. Paul.