Scholarships available for local student artists
Two organizations in Yuma want to give art students a little more green.
Artists and art educators offer numerous scholarships for local high school and college students, saying they understand that aspiring artists need investment just as much as inspiration.
Two such groups are Yuma Area Art Educators Association and Mountain Shadows Artists Association.
Art instructor and ceramics artist Holly Hendrick-Jones says that receiving a scholarship from the Yuma Area Art Educators Association as a teen boosted far more than her finances. Hendrick-Jones says the gift inspired her to dedicate her adult life to returning that love and support.
“You would have thought that they gave me a million dollars because I was so proud of myself and I couldn't believe that I earned it with my art,” she said. “By giving me that scholarship I felt so encouraged, and now I have come back to the community that believed in me, and I am giving back to our community by teaching students and encouraging them.”
Hendrick-Jones now belongs to the very organization that once supported her.
“When students feel successful they can accomplish almost anything. This is how my students feel every time they receive a scholarship,” she said. “It is like a cycle that promotes hope, growth, and knowledge over and over again. Often, students come home and give back.”
Yuma Area Art Educators Association offers the Louis LeRoy Memorial Scholarship for $1,500 to local high school seniors and college students. Several other scholarships worth $500 to $1,000 are also available for local high school seniors and college students.
The association also offers several material monetary scholarships available to local freshmen, sophomores and juniors, along with several art material awards to local junior high and elementary students.
More information is available at all local high schools from counselors and art teachers.
The association raises much of its scholarship money through its annual art auction. This year's event is set for March 9 at the Yuma Civic Center.
Mountain Shadows Artists Association offers two scholarships for local high school seniors and college students.
The Nancy K. Carlson Memorial Scholarship offers $500 to local graduating seniors going on to study art. Nancy Carlson was a founding member of Mountain Shadows.
The group also gives the Mountain Shadows Artists Association Scholarship worth $500 to local graduating seniors and college students.
The deadline for apply for the Mountain Shadows scholarships is March 1, 2013. Fore more information go to www.MsaaYuma.org.
