In honor of Iowa’s most famous artist, the Grant Wood Art Colony established the Grant Wood Legacy Prize. On March 11, the Colony will award the prize to three outstanding, high-school visual artists in Iowa: Mia Ruther (Burlington), Noelle Hahn (Burlington), and Kate Goodvin (Iowa City).
Grant Wood was a lifelong-educator, from his early years teaching at Cedar Rapids’s McKinley Junior High in the 1920s to the Stone City Art Colony of the 1930s and until his death while a University of Iowa faculty member. The Grant Wood Art Colony, committed to continuing the legacy of Grant Wood, promotes Wood’s passion for education and developing young artists. “The Grant Wood Legacy Prize enables the University of Iowa to discover young Iowa artists to encourage their talent,” said Maura Pilcher, Grant Wood Art Colony Director. “We hope to provide the support that influenced Wood’s career and contributed to his success.”
The three Grant Wood Legacy Prize recipients were selected from a pool of nearly 700 entries by a committee of Grant Wood Fellows and National Advisory Board Members. Winners were selected for their demonstration of a Regional voice and skill. Judges reviewed entries from Iowa students in the media categories in which Grant Wood worked: jewelry, painting, drawing and illustration, printmaking, design, ceramics and glass, and mixed media. The selection was done in collaboration with the Belin-Blank Center. The Belin-Blank Center serves as the affiliate for the Iowa and Midwest Region-at-Large Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Grant Wood Legacy Prize winners and their educators will be recognized at the Annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards ceremony on March 11, 2017. Winners will receive a scholarship to the Belin-Blank National Scholars Institute Visual Arts Studio in the summer of 2017. More information can be found at https://www2.education.uiowa.edu/belinblank/students/scholastic/.
Mia Ruther, Coffee Is ‘Still’ Life, Painting. Grade 12, Burlington Community High School, Burlington, IA. Pamela Geeding, Educator; Belin-Blank Center, Affiliate; 2017 Gold Key; 2017 Grant Wood Legacy Prize.
Noelle Hahn, Water Protectors, Drawing and Illustration. Grade 12, Burlington Community High School, Burlington, IA. Pamela Geeding, Educator; Belin-Blank Center, Affiliate; 2017 Gold Key; 2017 American Visions Nomination; 2017 Grant Wood Legacy Prize.
Kate Goodvin, DeAngelo, Devonte, and Rob, Painting. Grade 10, Iowa City High School, Iowa City, IA. Michael Close and Dan Peterson, Educators; 2017 Gold Key; 2017 Grant Wood Legacy Prize.
Read more about these artists in their local papers:
Mia Ruther and Noelle Hahn were featured in a Hawk Eye article on March 3, 2017.
Kate Goodvin was featured in a Press-Citizen article on March 18, 2017.