We had a student win this once...so it could be worth entering!

I’m getting in touch with you to make you aware of the Anthony Quinn Foundation Scholarship program.
The AQF Scholarship is an annual competition for high school students that provides funding for the awardees to attend summer intensive arts programs. These scholarships provide an incredible opportunity for talented students from all artistic disciplines to engage in immersion experiences. 
This is a competitive awards program. To succeed, applicants must demonstrate exceptional talent, dedication and a strong commitment to personal artistic growth and must be enrolled in high school or officially registered as a home-schooled high school student. Applications are reviewed by a panel of judges, comprised of professional artists and art educators who are independent of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
We would appreciate it if you could share this amazing scholarship opportunity with students who wish to pursue their creative dreams! To learn more about the AQF Scholarship, please visit https://aqfoundation.org/scholarships. If you have any questions please contact me at mariela@aqfoundation.org

Dear Community,

We have made it to October!  I want to thank the Art Guild, the art parents, and the college representatives for making Third Coast possible.  We had a productive, amazing event.  We are so lucky to have such talented 11th and 12th graders.  The work looked impressive throughout the department, including the printmaking room, the multipurpose room and the ceramics room.  We are fully underway with our Sophomore/Junior buddies and the Freshmen/Senior buddies events on Fridays during journal time.  The underclassmen  were able to talk to their partners and learn more about Third Coast.  We also got to share work with the underclassmen before we took everything down.  

Mr. Gray has met with students and parents who were interested in the Europe trip for Summer 2026.  If anyone else has inquiries about this special and unique opportunity, please email him.

Mr. Gray will also be in charge of this year's Middle School Workshops and training our current students to help out with this.  Workshops are November 2 and 16. 

Please help us return all of our fieldtrip forms for our big fieldtrip that is at the end of October.  I am excited to have a department wide, all-day fieldtrip and to work with local art professionals.  This should be a fun-filled day.  

Thank you to our wonderful art aides who help with daily tasks and keeping us organized in the department.  

The sophomore show comes down soon.  It recieved lots of compliments.  It was up during our Third Coast Event and Carnaval.  The next show is class-based and will feature specific classes across all grade levels.  This show will be up during the all school musical!

Sincerely,

Mr. Waddell

Reasons to Attend a Pre-College Program

1. The experience allows students to understand a college campus, travel alone, navigate a new city, and the transportation of that region.
2. The experience allows students to gain more information on a potential college choice- whether they realize that school is a good fit or not a good fit!  This is a valuable lesson!
3. The experience gives college educators and art schools a reason to advocate for your child when they apply to college.  This could lead to scholarship opportunities .
4. Your child meets other students across the country that share the same interests!
5. Make artwork under a fresh perspective.
6. Learn new mediums!  We had students learn glass blowing last summer!
7. Resume builder.  This experience shows that your child is passionate about the arts and shows that you are supportive of their talents.  Scholarships and exhibits that stem from this experience can be added onto the resume.
8. This experience keeps your child engaged in art over the summer.
9. Your child will gain confidence.  They can show off!  Our students are at the top level.  Art colleges love our students and our program.

October 10th is install day for 9th drawing, 10th photo, printmaking, elective painting, 11th drawing

We will be going on an all-day, department fieldtrip to the Moody Center for the Arts, the Blaffer Art Museum and the Silos at Sawyer Yards.  That will take place on October 25th!  Stay tuned for details!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeDHbqUwDmNH87lGHOjia1ZgUaW9-4wzFnxDcAvJiLH3NMtw/viewform?pli=1&vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0&pli=1

We have a new show in the gallery!  The Best of Junior Show!

September 2024

Dear Parents,

We have had a great first few weeks!

The 9th grade and 12th grade have been meeting on Fridays during journal time to continue our Senior Freshmen buddies, which should help acclimate the new students.  We have also now started sophomore/junior buddies.  We hope this new Friday tradition will help us blend the department and everyone will know each other a little bit better.

We have opened two shows in the gallery this year.  The Best of Senior Work displayed the class of 2025.  The Best of Junior Show is currently on view and highlights work that the kids have chosen as favorite pieces from the Spring Semester and Summer.  It is a diverse set of pieces that show off Mr. Gray's class of mixed media and shaped canvases, Ms. Toussaint's painting class and Ms. Majithia's ceramics class.  We hope this inspires the current sophomores to strive in these lab-based classes!  The HISD Fine Arts Professional Development will be hosted at our campus and all the Fine Arts teachers will get to see this work!

We also habve welcomed Cameron Haynes to the department.  He is our new student teacher who will be with us until December.  Mr. Haynes is from the University of Houston!

We have 5 students helping as art aids department this year.  We are so thankful for their help.

At the end of September, we host our Third Coast College event.  Juniors and Seniors will show their portfolios to many college representatives over the course of 3 days.  If you are a parent and want to get involved, please contact HSPVA Friends about joining the Art Guild and serving breakfast and lunch to the college reps.  The ninth and tenth grade students will be allowed to watch this event over those days and observe what they will be doing as upperclassmen.  Everyone should pay attention to these colleges, as most of them offer Pre-College Summer Programs.  Many of our students are interested in these extracurricular events that are great resume builders!

Ms. Fowler has talked to the whole department during Art Homeroom about entering Young Arts.  If you are 10th-12th grade, we encourage you all to enter.

Let's hope that we get some cool weather soon! 

Cheers,

Mr. Waddell

Dear HSPVA Visual Art Families!

We welcomed Mr. Gray as our full-time sculpture teacher and our sophomore level advocate.  It was a smooth transition as he was always willing to jump into any role.  He has reignited an excitement around welding and mixed media.  He comes with an expertise in teaching art history at a college level!  Many of his assignments brought a new energy into the students’ work including shaped canvas paintings!   

Ms. Phillips was named Teacher-of-the-Year on our campus.  This was an amazing accomplishment, and we are proud of her recognition among her fellow teachers.  Ms. Phillips demonstrates leadership, kindness, patience and diplomacy among her colleagues and her students.  She is a wonderful guide and mentor to the 9^th graders, getting them acclimated to our program.  Incoming students are in great hands! 

Ms. Fowler stepped into the senior advocate position.  She has challenged and upped the ante for our most advanced students.  The seniors had some of the cleanest and most professional looking thesis shows.  They were well curated, labeled and had professional statements to accompany the work.  We had weekly gallery talks, where seniors explained their work to the underclass students.    In addition, seniors had a culminating, pop-up show of their legacy pieces in the multi-purpose room.  Ms. Fowler invited a handful of esteemed guests and alum to campus to reflect on their time.  This also led to an exhibit at Jardin, a business owned by Isabel Wilson, designer and former consultant.

We welcome new consultants Mr. Luckett (10^th Grade Photography), Mr. Alvizures (Elective Welding), Ms. Bolduc (Printmaking) and Mr. Lopez (9^th Grade Drawing)

This year, we are trying some new programming with our gallery.  After our grade level showcases, we will have three shows that highlight different classes and mediums.  These shows will be all inclusive across grade level.  We want kids to participate and enter shows and add to their resume! 

Among award highlights include Luna Yepez (Class of 2024) Silver Key for Fashion in Scholastics and Saj Baldwin Evans McNallan (current sophomore) was the recipient of the 2024 Texas Young Masters Award. 

Sincerely and with kindness,

Mr. Waddell

All art seniors are required to enter.  This is part of the fall curriculum.  However, if you are a 10th or 11th grade, you are also encouraged to check out this opportunity on your own!  Grade level advocates can mentor you in the process as well.  For seniors, Ms. Fowler will guide you step by step and this is part of ISA!  We have had many winners!

The YoungArts application for 2025 is now open! The application will be open until October 17, 2024.

For many young people, applying to YoungArts may be the first step in affirming “I am an artist.”  Young Arts support artists across 10 disciplines at all stages of their development, starting from that critical moment when they decide to pursue a life in the arts and continuing throughout their careers. Since our founding in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison, our mission has been to identify exceptional young artists, amplify their potential, and invest in their lifelong creative freedom.

Our signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15–18 or in grades 10–12 from across the United States. 

Applicants have the chance to receive:

• Cash awards of up to $10,000
• Mentorship by accomplished artists 
• A lifetime of creative and professional support
• A peer network of distinguished artists
• Nomination for U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts 
• National recognition
• Scholarship opportunities via our Student List Service

YoungArts’ 10 disciplines include:

• Classical Music (Classical Instrumental and Composition)
• Dance (African, Ballet, Choreography, Hip Hop, Indian, Jazz, Mexican Folkloric, Modern/Contemporary, Spanish, Tap)
• Design (Architecture, Interior, Product, Fashion and Graphic Design)
• Film (Narrative, Animation, Experimental and Documentary)
• Jazz (Instrumental, Composition and Percussion)
• Photography (Black & White, Color, Digital and Mixed Media)
• Theater (Spoken and Musical Theater)
• Visual Arts (Ceramics, Drawing, Multi-Media, Painting, Performance and Sculpture)
• Voice (Classical, Jazz, Popular and Singer-Songwriter)
• Writing (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Play, Poetry, Script, Short Story and Spoken Word)

Congratulations to this year's senior ambassadors for Visual Arts!​

• Kennedy Brown​
• Marleny Gomez ​
• Lauren Loth​
• Isabella Roman​
• Andrei Yurashevich​
• Aileen Zhang

If you are a parent and would like to get involved with the art department, we have plenty of opportunities.  

Please reach out HSPVA Friends

acoggin@hspvafriends.org

Opportunities include:

-Third Coast-our biggest event of the year that impacts Juniors and Seniors. Third Coast is the chance for students to show off their work, receive portfolio reviews from college representatives and earn scholarships.   If you are a Freshperson or Sophomore parent, get involved now and see the excitement.  (end of September, Wednesday/Thursday/Friday during school)

-Middle School Workshops (two Saturdays in October)

-transporting work for scholastics, rodeo

-PVA Show- Spring fundraiser where we sell prints

-Jung Center Show, (summer)

-attending fieldtrips

Click here for the 2024-25 Supply List