Spotlight: 2024 Scholastic Art Award Winners

Simply stepping onto Sandy Spring Friends School’s serene campus is enough to inspire art. But as any serious artist will attest, inspiration is only part of the artistic process—vision, creativity, intuition, and collaboration must be balanced with craft, technique, accountability, and discipline. You could say that SSFS’s “secret sauce” is the combination of the vibrant natural surroundings of our 140-acre campus—including an educational farm, hiking trails, and a picturesque pond—with a culture that intentionally fosters a sense of belonging and personal expression, and robust arts facilities and curriculum. 

No tour of campus is complete without a visit to our various art spaces where you will find woodworking and weaving rooms; dance, music, and photography studios; a ceramics studio and kiln; and dedicated visual art studios in each division—in particular, the Lower School’s whimsical “Art Barn” cannot be missed! As you peek into each of these unique spaces, you’ll see our dynamic and talented arts faculty guiding students through a wide range of visual and performance-based artistic disciplines. Our curriculum celebrates the historical impact of art movements, nurtures creativity, and develops essential skills.

From expert people to inspiring places, with the full complement of crucial artistic inputs, it likely comes as no surprise that several SSFS students were recently recognized with Scholastic Art and Writing Awards—the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Open to students in grades 7–12, these coveted awards are given in 28 categories of art and writing after luminaries in the visual and literary arts judge them for their originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

We recently sat down with three Upper School students whose work was selected for a Scholastic Art Award—in one case, three of them!—to learn what inspires them, who they’re grateful to, and what’s next in their artistic journeys. Check it out!

Kieran Liftik ’25 | Silver Key, Digital Media
Artistic Beginnings and Influence

I have been creating art since I was little. In fact, I can’t remember when I haven’t been making art. My middle school art teacher at my old school made a significant impact on my growth as an artist. She allowed me to pursue my interests, follow my ambitions, and go outside my comfort zone. Because of her, I am able to create the art I have been wanting to create.

Artistic Experience at SSFS
SSFS’s environment has been extremely encouraging and has allowed me to explore my interests as an artist. Everyone has been super supportive of me and my passion for various art forms, including dance and theater. Priscilla Williams, my yoga instructor, allowed me to perform in the winter showcase this year, without being in the official dance class. When I proposed my idea, she was super welcoming. Because of her support, I was able to explore beyond what I thought was possible for me. 

Artistic Influence from the Quaker SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality/Equity, and Stewardship)
The Quaker SPICE of Stewardship has the most connection to me because I believe that it is our duty as human beings to take care of the earth. Through my art, I am able to express my concerns for the planet and be an activist against climate change—I try to use my art for activism. Right now, my inspiration is taken from outer space, natural landscapes, and other aspects of our planet and what lies beyond it. 

Artistic Recognition and Goals
This is my first official artistic accomplishment, but hopefully not my last! I want to keep creating for as long as possible, grow my skills, and expand to other media outside of digital art. In the meantime, I am uploading my work to my website, dryline-studios.com.

With this piece I submitted to the Scholastic Art Awards, I was inspired by the pictures taken by the James Webb Telescope. The process of making the artwork was quite simple, yet time consuming. To make this award winning piece as well as all other art pieces, I used the Procreate app. 

Teni Abiona ’26 | 3 Honorable Mentions, Photography

Artistic Beginnings and Influence
My artistic journey started when I was pretty young—around 4th Grade—when I discovered a love for drawing. This led me to submit a piece and win an award in the 5th Grade. My dad also loves photography, which led me to pick digital photography as a class during freshman year and continue through my sophomore year. My biggest artistic influences have been my teacher, Kris [Morse], along with my dad. They both always compliment my work and push me to expand my boundaries when it comes to taking pictures. 

Artistic Experience at SSFS
Being an SSFS student encourages me to show the SPICES through my artwork to embody Quaker values. I found my love for taking pictures of nature and landscapes while doing projects in my SSFS classes.  I want to thank my friends for always giving me feedback on my work and my teacher, Kris, for allowing me to participate in this competition. 

Artistic Influence from the Quaker SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality/Equity, and Stewardship)
Peace is the Quaker SPICE that influences me the most. When I take photos, I want my audience to feel at peace, and this is what I feel when I’m taking pictures. 

Artistic Recognition and Goals
I am proud of the Scholastic Art Awards Honorable Mentions for all three of my submitted photos. In the future, I plan on expanding my photography skills for my own enjoyment. 

The pieces I submitted for consideration to Scholastic Art Awards were aided by mini-projects I did in class. 

Cecilia Gang ’26 | Honorable Mention, Mixed Media

Artistic Beginnings and Influence
I’ve been drawing since at least 1st Grade. I definitely grew more passionate about art in middle school. Today, I typically find inspiration from other artists or the media I consume, like niche 2000–2010s YouTube content, which had a lot of unique material that was mainly artistic. It exposed me to different kinds of art styles and I found the value in them. I was able to dive deep into communities that interested me and interact with individuals with small followings broadcasting their unique works and personalities. In my own art, I tend to gravitate towards ethereal, fantastical themes. 

Artistic Experience at SSFS
Because of the environment here at SSFS, I feel encouraged to portray an image that is authentic and true to me. All the different and unique people here inspire me to draw something meaningful. I’d like to thank my teachers Shellie and Michelle for introducing me to so many different art forms that I’ve grown to love. Although I am mainly a 2D artist, I’ve grown a great love of sculpture since trying it out in 8th Grade.

Artistic Influence from the Quaker SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality/Equity, and Stewardship)
Simplicity is the Quaker SPICE that has probably had the largest influence on my art. You can create art out of anything, anywhere. You don’t need any fancy material to make art, just creativity. I also do digital art, and this is much simpler in comparison to traditional art, and consumes less material.

Artistic Recognition and Goals
While my goals aren’t set in stone as of now, in the future, I hope to be able to make art on a larger scale and maybe even sell it. I also hope to have an opportunity to explore my love of sculpture.

My award-winning piece was inspired by the idea of a visual that cannot be easily deciphered. I wanted to portray a scene that would make the viewer pause to question the possible meanings and story. The painting process for this piece was quite therapeutic. I’d say the scariest part of creating it was cutting the wood as well as meeting the deadline for the competition.

Congratulations Kieran, Teni, and Cecilia—you inspire us!