Christine Lee Wins Two Gold Keys From Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Christine Lee's artistic journey reached new heights during her senior year at Lovett. She earned regional recognition for her impactful artwork, winning two gold keys and four silver keys in the 2024 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. 

"It was my last time entering this competition, so I tried to put my all into creating works that could not only do well but also felt personal and meaningful for me to create," Lee said.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious literary and art competition in the U.S. Every year, students in grades 7-12 submit more than 330,000 works of art and writing to be judged by academic professionals. 

"Being recognized this year with two gold keys by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is a huge motivation for me to continue pursuing art and growing as an artist," Lee said.

She has worked hard to hone her craft, taking full advantage of the opportunities the Lovett Fine Arts program provides.

"I’ve taken art classes at Lovett all four years, starting from Foundations of Art to Honors Visual Art now,” Lee said. “In 2023 I saw the most growth because I started creating more pieces that held meaning for me, rather than just creating for fun. I found myself growing exponentially, both technically and conceptually."

This year's honor surpasses her previous accomplishment of winning two silver keys in 2023.

"It's really rewarding to see my personal growth as I look back on last year's awards. Last year especially, I think I grew a lot as an artist, both conceptually and technically, so it is nice to see such efforts be successful!" Lee said. 

Gold Key Winner: "To Sway and Stand Firm," Acrylic on Paper

Description: How much of our life is truly not influenced or determined by others? Although one may like to think that their life can be led by the choices one makes, the reality is that many of the circumstances that lead up to these decisions, the context we will never know, are built upon by outside forces, faces that we may never know. This artwork explores that contradiction, the balance of control between the person and the unknown, and ultimately the uncertain outcome of this struggle.

Gold Key Winner: "Sheltered," Acrylic and Charcoal on Packaging Cardboard

Description: I don't have a description for Sheltered, as it is meant to be up to the viewer. It's meant to be a piece that can be understood with multiple meanings, such as being figuratively "sheltered" or coddled, the literal problem of unnecessary overpackaging, or other meanings that viewers are free to come up with.