Last weekend, Shi (Roxanne) Li, a junior at The Bear Creek School, and her art teacher Trinity Osborn were both honored at Carnegie Hall. Li’s sculpture “Carp” earned national recognition from the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, receiving a silver medal and the invitation to New York City for the awards ceremony. Osborn was honored at the awards ceremony for her outstanding achievement as an art educator whose dedication, commitment and guidance are represented by student work selected for national honors. More than 255,000 original works of art and writing were submitted to the 2014 awards and just 1,800 were honored as national medalists.
Last spring, Li, then a sophomore at Bear Creek, enrolled in Osborn’s sculpture and mixed-media class and created a sculpture, “Carp.” Although “Carp” (pictured) appears to be made of bronze, it is actually constructed from plaster, wire, newspaper and acrylic paint. In the fall, Li entered her sculpture in two major art contests and has been well decorated for her effort.
Li entered “Carp” in the 2014 West Art Region-at-Large Scholastic Art & Writing Awards contest. In the regional contest representing students from Montana, Utah, Idaho and parts of Washington and Oregon, approximately 5 percent of all submissions, including Li’s piece, are recognized with Gold Key awards. Gold Key recipients are eligible for national medalist consideration. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have a legacy dating back to 1923 and a noteworthy roster of past winners including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates.
Li also entered “Carp” in the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) Regional High School Art Show where she won three awards. She was a regional winner, which advanced her piece to the state superintendent’s High School Art Show in Olympia. She also earned the Board of Director’s Honorable Mention Award and the Overall Best in Show Award (3D) for receiving the highest accumulation of points from the judges in the 3D category.
The PSESD represents 16 school districts, including 19 private schools, 42 public schools in King County and 35 public schools in Pierce County. Li’s piece was on exhibit at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction headquarters in Olympia earlier this spring.
Li is an international student from Guangzhou, China. She has been a student at Bear Creek since grade nine and lives with a local host family. Her older sister Josie Xian (Josie) Li graduated from Bear Creek in 2013.
