Torgersen, Hobbie earn Gold Key Awards at prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Jan. 16—MITCHELL — A pair of Mitchell High School seniors made a splash at a recent presitgious art contest.

The Department of Art at the University of South Dakota recently announced the regional award recipients of the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for South Dakota, and included among the winners were Mitchell High School seniors Sofia Torgersen and Natali Hobbie.

"This is the first time we've had two Gold Keys from Mitchell High School, so that's exciting in and of itself," said Marica Shannon, art teacher at Mitchell High School. "But more importantly, (the honor it brings is) the value they feel when they get a Gold Key. They're being recognized as outstanding from our state."

Presented by the nonprofit organization the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the country's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 7 — 12. Over 200 creative teens from South Dakota received regional honors, including Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions or American Visions nominations.

Torgersen received several notations at the event, including the highest recognition — a Gold Key — and Hobbie also received a Gold Key recognition for her sole entry.

Torgersen, who won accolades for her work

at the Northern State University High School Art Invitational Exhibition in Aberdeen recently,

took home a Gold Key, a Silver Key, and three honorable mentions. Her Gold Key was for the same piece, titled "Your Fault," for which she won recognition in Aberdeen. Like most of her pieces, it was created in the digital medium, but she also submitted in the photography category for the awards.

Other submitted works from Torgersen that received recognition were pieces titled "The Gull," "The Self," "Untitled" and "Attachment Issues."

Hobbie received Gold Key for her work, "Strong Woman," in the photography category. The piece features a shot of small figurines photographed with a narrow field of focus, giving them a lifelike appearance.

Shannon said Hobbie's choice to submit for the contest was a last-minute decision, and it's success at the event shows that it pays to enter contests and see what the judges think of one's work, even if there is some doubt on how the piece will be received. The small figurines used in the photo were a recent addition to Shannon's classroom materials.

"I had just purchased those little figurines. I'm always on the hunt for stuff like that. I had just gotten those and they played with them, and I'm excited for this semester's crew to get hold of those, too," Shannon said. "It just shows you never know."

Gold Key recipients are automatically considered for national-level recognition, according to the competition website.

The competition is considered among the most prestigious of high school art contests and is celebrating its 100th anniversary with this year's awards, having been established in 1923. Many national luminaries in the field of art and writing have been recognized through the awards, including artist Andy Warhol, writers Sylvia Plath, John Updike and Stephen King as well as actors like Alan Arkin.

It's good company to be in, Shannon said.

"When you look at it nationally — Andy Warhol was in this competition. It's one of the most nationally recognized competitions that students compete in," Shannon said. "And when you look at that 200 from South Dakota, that's pretty impressive that we have two students recognized in that."

Winners will all be celebrated and recognized at the South Dakota Regional Award Ceremony and Exhibition, Sunday, Feb. 19 at Colton Recital Hall inside the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts on the campus of the University of South Dakota.

At the ceremony, students will be recognized on stage, and will receive their award certificates. Organizers will also announce the American Vision Nominees — the "best-in-show" award for South Dakota, and multiple USD Department of Art scholarships will be awarded to select senior students.

Artworks that received a Gold Key award will be on display at the University of South Dakota's Gallery 110 in the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts from Feb. 10 to Feb. 19. A gallery reception will take place on Feb. 19 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and participants may take their work home with them following the awards ceremony.

For students from Mitchell, the next big event will be the State Visual Arts Contest, which is scheduled for March 16-18 at The Monument in Rapid City. The competition will be held on the same weekend and at the same location as the South Dakota State AA Boys Basketball Tournament.

"It's usually 200 to 250 works of art from throughout the state from over 30 high schools, and they give category awards and team awards," Shannon said.

It will be another chance for local students to earn recognition for their creativity and skill, Shannon said, but for now she is pleased to see two Mitchell High School students earning accolades for their work at this latest competition.

Seeing them succeed is exciting, she said.

"I'm overwhelmed. You always think it can't get any better, and then it does," Shannon said. "These students have such talent and great ideas. It's the joy of teaching art."