Work of young Vermont artists and writers on display at Brattleboro Museum
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) announces that 167 young artists and writers from across Vermont have been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing awards for exceptional artistic and literary talent. The students’ award-winning artwork and writing will be exhibited at BMAC from Friday, February 20, to Friday, March 6. An awards ceremony will take place at the museum on Saturday, March 7, at 12 pm.
The ceremony is free. Doors open at 10 am. Cartoonist and illustrator Harry Bliss will deliver the keynote address.
Each year, students in grades seven to 12 are invited to submit art and writing in categories such as ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, poetry, science fiction, personal essay/memoir, and more. Submissions are judged on a statewide level, with the winners considered for national awards, including college scholarships, museum exhibitions, and publication opportunities. BMAC has administered the awards for Vermont since 2011.
This year, 707 works of art or writing were submitted by 280 students from 43 schools throughout Vermont, marking the highest levels of participation since BMAC began administering the awards in 2010. A total of 279 awards were presented this year: 59 gold keys, 60 silver keys, and 160 honorable mentions.
Locally, Brattleboro Union High School student Dashiell Moyse’s art portfolio received a gold key and will now be entered into consideration for the Scholastic Art & Writing awards’ highest honor, a Portfolio Gold Medal, 16 of which will be awarded nationwide in both art and writing. Winners of Portfolio Gold Medals receive scholarship awards of $12,500.
Chloe Rosner, a senior at the Putney School, received eight awards in art, including a gold key and American visions nomination for the painting “Sitting, Thinking.” Of the 59 works awarded gold keys, only one was created by a middle schooler — “Shades of Pink,” a poem by Tess Wiesmore, a student at The Grammar School in Putney.
The local 2026 gold key awardees are Chelsea Charles, Winhall, grade 12, Stratton Mountain School, personal essay and memoir; Piper Cubell, Stratton, grade 12, Stratton Mountain School, personal essay and memoir; Quinn Dorsey, Manchester, grade 11, Burr & Burton Academy, RISD pre-college program – comic art; Vivian Elliott, Brattleboro, grade 12, Brattleboro Union High School, mixed media; Emily Faucher, Winhall, grade 11, Stratton Mountain School, personal essay and memoir; Arabella Frost, South Newfane, grade 9, Putney School, short story; Campbell Goodman, Winhall, grade 10, Stratton Mountain School, critical essay; Desmond Grace, Brattleboro, grade 12, Brattleboro Union High School, personal essay and memoir; Francie Graves, Putney, grade 11, Putney School, fashion; Yousong Huang, Saxtons River, grade 11, Vermont Academy, digital painting, drawing, and collage; Gilbert Komuves, Brattleboro, grade 10, Brattleboro Union High School, photography (American Visions nominee); Seonhye Ma, Putney, grade 11, Putney School, painting (American Visions nominee); Amanda Montalva, Putney, grade 10, Brattleboro Union High School, photography; Dashiell Moyse, Brattleboro, grade 12, Brattleboro Union High School, art portfolio; Miles Rae, Brattleboro, grade 11, Putney School, short story; Chloe Rosner, Marlboro, grade 12, Putney School, painting (American Visions nominee); Emma Sklar, Wardsboro, grade 10, Stratton Mountain School, critical essay (American Voices nominee); Leo Storm, Brattleboro, grade 11, Putney School, personal essay and memoir; Lola Sullivan, Manchester, grade 10, Stratton Mountain School, critical essay; Samuel Thies, Brattleboro, grade 11, Brattleboro Union High School, photography; Benjamin Weinberger, Winhall, grade 10, Stratton Mountain School, critical essay; and Tess Wiesmore, Brattleboro, grade 8, Grammar School, poetry.
BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is “pay as you wish.” Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information and accessibility requests, visit brattleboromuseum.org, call (802) 257-0124, or email office@brattleboromuseum.org.
