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BIG ARTS hands out scholarships to 10 high school, college students

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Pictured from left are BIG ARTS scholarship winners Lauren Davis, Jeremy Miller, Kacie Phillips, Adam Frank and Jane Pierce. Not pictured is Michael George, Devin Harclerode, James Holly, Dakota Sica and Blake Sobzak.

BIG ARTS Phillips Gallery was the scene of a moving ceremony on May 25 as 10 students received scholarship awards from BIG ARTS.

“The scholarship program was initiated more than 20 years ago to encourage artistic talents,” said BIG ARTS Executive Director Lee Ellen Harder. “Through the generous support of many people, including Laverne Phillips, Patricia and Davis Thurber and Robert Rauschenberg, the program has been able to help many students through the years. Art can make such a difference and enrich our quality of life. We encourage our students to stay involved and give back to the community.”

These scholarships are awarded, following a rigorous interview and selection procedure, to high school seniors and college students majoring in visual arts, music, dance, theater, creative writing or film.

The 2010 scholarships are made possible by the generosity of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Patricia Thurber Scholarship Trust, Laverne Phillips, and by community support of the BIG ARTS BIG SECRET artworks event.

“Based upon the outstanding portfolios submitted by the recipients of the scholarships, the committee believes that the arts in Southwest Florida have a bright future,” said Scholarship Committee Chair Dick Riley.

BIG ARTS/Patricia Thurber Scholarship Trust Scholarship was awarded to freshmen Lauren Davis, Jeremy Miller and Kacie Phillips. Davis begins Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. this fall, concentrating on vocal studies. Miller will be at Valencia Community College, located in Orlando, Fla., studying musical theater. Phillips will study commercial music at Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn.

BIG ARTS/Robert Rauschenberg Scholarship was given to Michael George, a senior at Tisch School of the Arts, at New York University, N.Y., who is majoring in fine arts – photography. Dakota Sica, a sophomore at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y., also received the Rauschenberg Scholarship for his studies in fine arts – sculpture.

        

BIG ARTS BIG SECRET Artworks Scholarships were given to Adam Frank, Devin Harclerode, James Holly, Jane Pierce and Blake Sobczak. Frank will be a freshmen studying illustration at Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Fla. Harclerode is a sophomore at University of Florida in Gainesville, studying fine arts – painting. Holly is a senior at Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Md., majoring in fine arts – graphic design. Pierce is a sophomore at Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, D.C., studying fine arts – photography. Sobczak is a junior at Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Ill., studying photojournalism.

           

For further information about BIG ARTS Scholarship program or BIG ARTS, or to become a member, stop by BIG ARTS, located at 900 Dunlop Road in Sanibel, call 395-0900, e-mail info@BIGARTS.org or log on to www.BIGARTS.org.