Belmont Hill’s Visual Arts Award Chapel on Friday the 24th revealed many students’ impressive accomplishments throughout the year. The categories included drawing, painting, ceramics, and photography; students were ranked based on their most significant pieces of work. In ceramics, Eli Ackerman ’26 won third place, Mikey Sullivan ’25 won second place, and Cam Nacar ’26 won first place. In advanced ceramics, Mac Bobo ’23 placed third, Jack Duffy ’25 placed second, and Stephen Agular ’25 placed first. In photography, Panos Gianoukos ’26 won third, Rylan Dean ’26 won second, and Nathan Folker ’25 won first place. In advanced photography, Conner Goodband ’25 won third place, Cooper Nelson ‘23 placed second, and Teddy Stonestreet ’25 came in first place. In painting and drawing, Daniel Cho ’26 won third place, Andrew Cotter ’26 won second place, and Babikir Saeed ’26 won first place. In woodworking, Jack Kastner ’25 came in third, Grant Hanser ’26 came in second, and Jack Santonelli ’26 came in first. In advanced woodworking, CJ Collins ’25 came in third, Ford Webb ’25 won second, and Andrew Hildebrandt won first place. Finally, awarded best in the show was Ben Kuechle ’23, winning for his masterful black and white photography.
Furthermore, artists such as Daniel Xie ’24 and Brian Lee ’24 were awarded gold keys. Daniel was awarded for his masterful drawing skills, capturing the back of an empty school bus in a dazzling way, having the drawing overflow with detail, and having it provide a sense of eeriness. Brian was awarded a gold and silver key for his incredible photography skills and digital editing skills to create unique and masterful photographs and art that could be appreciated by all students and faculty. Along with these two, there were also many other winners of this prestigious award, and we have much to celebrate as a community. Additionally, Nate Voss ’24 and Jaiden Lee ’26 won silver medals for their respective artwork, while Daniel Xie and Teddy Stonestreet ’25 won Honorable mentions for their artwork as well.
Overall, the show portrayed Belmont Hill’s enormous artistic talent and reinforced the appreciation we have for such students. For the coming years, we as a community should be excited to celebrate and appreciate all the art placed around campus, particularly the Landau Gallery. In addition to this, Belmont Hill students should also strive to participate not only in the performing arts but also in the visual arts as well. Belmont Hill offers many artistic opportunities for students, and as a school, it is crucial that we take advantage of them.
