The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA announced the winners of Writer’s Eye 2016, the 30th anniversary of the Museum’s annual literary competition challenging writers of all ages to create original works of poetry and prose inspired by art.
Writer’s Eye was the brainchild of Carole Armstrong and Valerie Morris—two of the Museum’s docents who launched the program in 1986—and has become a mainstay of the local school curriculum, as well as the University community. The program’s success relies on support by several annual donors, as well as the efforts of nearly 100 University student and community docents, who volunteer to lead twelve weeks of tours to introduce students to artwork selected for the competition.
This year the art selections came from four special exhibitions: Andy Warhol: Icons, THE GREAT WAR: Printmakers of World War I from the VMFA, A Gift of Knowing: The Art of Dorothea Rockburne, and New Acquisitions: Photography, as well as from the Museum’s permanent collection. Both the traditional and the contemporary art provoked strong literary responses.
This year, 4,017 individuals participated in the tours, and many others sought out the artwork on their own. Community and student docents gave 297 tours to students from 41 public schools and 16 independent schools in the cities of Charlottesville, Staunton, and Waynesboro, as well as nine surrounding counties: Albemarle, Augusta, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Madison, Nelson, Orange, and Rappahannock.
Contestants submitted 1,758 entries in four age-related categories: Grades 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 and university/adult. Entries for the younger grades are judged by panels of local writers and teachers. University of Virginia faculty Lisa Russ Spaar and Christopher Tilghman served as distinguished judges for the high school and university/adult categories. Spaar and Tilghman are both renowned for their writing, as well as their teaching and mentorship of young writers.
The winners for Writer’s Eye 2016 are:
Grade 3-5 Poetry
First Place Graham Holub, The Paper Journey Woodbrook Elementary School
Second Place Peter Kronebusch, Shocking Hollymead Elementary School
Third Place Larken Hendricks, War St. Anne’s-Belfield School
Honorable Mentions: Juliet Rowe, St. Anne’s-Belfield School; Andy Pham, Charlottesville Catholic School; Josephine Carmichael, Tandem Friends School; Emily Davis, St. Anne’s-Belfield School.
Grade 3-5 Prose
First Place Meili Gregg, Chaos Agnor-Hurt Elementary School
Second Place Sophia Sun, Eye of the Wild Night St. Anne’s-Belfield School
Third Place Lilly Hinerman, Green North Branch School
Honorable Mentions: Bronson Poe, Crozet Elementary School; Alexandra Liccione, T. C. McSwain Elementary School; Lila Gerow, Agnor-Hurt Elementary School; Laine Cooper, V. L. Murray Elementary School.
Grade 6-8 Poetry
First Place Zoe Kusyk, Colors Village School
Second Place Avery Niven, Echoes Village School
Third Place Ariela Milstein, Venus Walker Upper Elementary School
Honorable Mentions: Anna Herndon, Walton Middle School; Eden Block, Village School; Kyri Antholis, Village School.
Grade 6-8 Prose
First Place Vivien Wong, Carina Village School
Second Place Hannah Slayton, The Birth of Love Burley Middle School
Third Place Elisabeth Grace Bryan, A Ghost of the Street Charlottesville Waldorf School
Honorable Mentions: Marissa Trader, Sutherland Middle School; Gwynhevere Telling, Homeschooled; Luca Huff, Burley Middle School; Caroline Miller, Village School.
Grade 9-12 Poetry
First Place Topaz Winters, So, Stranger Singapore American School
Second Place Aliza Haskal, Mindscape Tandem Friends School
Third Place Audrey Parks, Most People Monticello High School
Honorable Mentions: Darius Toussi, Murray High School; Sophie Heny, Albemarle High School; Tripp Hood, Woodberry Forest School; Alex Hagen, Murray High School.
Grade 9-12 Prose
First Place Marie Ungar, Comet Albemarle High School
Second Place Rhew Deigl, Not Coming Back Woodberry Forest School
Third Place Blythe Brewster, Phobia Woodberry Forest School
Honorable Mentions: Qena Taylor, Charlottesville High School; Avigayil Aaronson, Belle Meade School; Emma Patterson, Albemarle High School.
Univ/Adult Poetry
First Place Erin Newton Wells, My Face an Elegy
Second Place Quinn Gilman-Forlini, Informal Euclidian Proof of Dorothea Rockburne’s
Arcane Egyptian Astronomy
Third Place Aline Dolinh, Address to Teenage Martyrs University of Virginia
Honorable Mentions: Bobby Elliott, University of Virginia; Lucy Fitzgerald, University of Virginia; Kathryn Robbins, University of Virginia; Addie Eliades, University of Virginia.
Univ/Adult Prose
First Place Karen Zvarych, Grenadine Grouse
Second Place Cameron Hicks, Ever Be Whole University of Virginia
Third Place Andrew Neatrour, The Cannon’s Crew George Mason University
Winners will be honored at an awards ceremony on March 12th, from 3-5 pm in UVA’s Newcomb Hall Ballroom, as well as in a 72-page full color anthology of their works, available to the public, at no charge.
Founded in 1935, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia maintains a collection of nearly 14,000 objects in support of our mission to serve faculty, students, and the greater Charlottesville community through engaging exhibitions and programs. Our internationally traveled exhibitions and diverse permanent collection enhance our emphasis on object-based experiential learning and hands-on scholarly research, which makes us a cornerstone of the arts at the university. From medical school observational training to our creative writing competition, our cutting-edge programming creates a unique and memorable experience for every visitor. Come join us at http://uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu.
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