The Working Artists Forum is a not-for-profit organization based in Easton which consists of visual artists selected from throughout the Eastern Shore. Their mission includes fostering professional expertise through programs, group critiques, demonstrations, workshops, and member exhibitions. Members have received numerous awards in countless competitions and art shows, and their work appears in private and corporate collections throughout the United States and abroad.
WAF has a strong interest in programs for community benefit, including making donations to art classes in area schools. They periodically make awards to high school students of exceptional artistic promise who plan to major in an arts-related discipline in college. On March 13, WAF president Betty Huang, awarded $500 gift cards for art supplies to two such students: Camryn Carels, a senior at Easton High School, and Sydney Kay, a senior at Queen Anne’s County High School. The presentation took place at Studio B Gallery in Easton.
Camryn Carels of Easton has studied art during each of her four years at Easton High School. One of her art teachers says she has “displayed a heightened aesthetic and love for the discipline unrivaled by any of her peers.” Further, “Along with her inherent passion for the field came a drive to better her abilities and learn as much as she could to master any procedure or technique.” Thus she has become a model of excellence and achievement for her fellow students. It is therefore not surprising she was elected president of the EHS chapter of the National Art Honor Society for both her junior and senior years. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and the Girl Scouts, where she works as a volunteer program aide in summer camps. In 2016 she was awarded a Summer Arts Scholarship by the Talbot County Arts Council to support her attendance at the Pre-College Studio Week of the Delaware College of Art and Design in Wilmington. This program confirmed her decision to make interior design her eventual career choice. She plans to attend the School of Arts in the Virginia Commonwealth University this fall.
Sydney Kay of Church Hill is described as being highly creative and having an exceptional work ethic. She has a 3.9 grade point average and was selected for the National Honor Society. She also belongs to the QACHS Marching Band, Future Educators Association, Art Club, and Creative Writing Club. She is a devoted member of the Girl Scouts, where she is pursuing her Gold Award, the highest merit a girl scout can achieve. For her final service project, she plans to merge her passions for art and scouting by creating a series of stop-motion animation clips that exemplify the six pillars of Character Counts–trustworthiness, caring, respect, responsibility, citizenship, and fairness. According to her art teacher, she has demonstrated significant growth over the last four years, and her ability to analyze problems and find creative solutions gives her artwork a “personal voice.” Her work was chosen for the Maryland First Lady’s Gallery in the House of Delegates, where she was one of only three of 52 such students who received Awards for Outstanding Accomplishment. She plans to attend the Cleveland Institute of Art.
For further information on the Working Artists Forum, call WAF president Betty Huang at 443-988-1818 or visit website www.workingartistsforum.com.
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