Crossroads Junior Wins Gold Medal in 2020 National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

After blind judging more than 320,000 original works, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers announced its list of National Medalists in the 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards on March 16. Eleventh grader Nina Yankovic, one of the six Crossroads students to be considered at the national level, won a Gold Medal for her photograph “Crescent.”

 

“One of my main hopes as an artist is that what I make impacts people,” says Nina, who takes sculpture and studio art classes in addition to photography. “I’m really honored and excited to know that the judges saw something special in my work.”

 

Deemed one of “the most outstanding works in the nation,” Nina’s photograph contains multiple layers of abstraction, from its subject matter to its light source and scale. Moreover, although it appears black and white, it is a color photograph. According to Nina, “The shapes and gradients of the piece make it feel like it is distant and even celestial, but it is grounded by the industrial structure at the top.”

 

As a Gold Medalist, Nina will be honored at the National Ceremony on June 4, 2020. Originally scheduled to take place at Carnegie Hall in New York, this year’s ceremony will be held virtually.

 

Nina values the skills she is acquiring through art classes at Crossroads. “There are so many opportunities that are enhanced by thoughtful design and creative thinking,” she explains. “I know I will be able to apply an artistic mindset to the career that is the best fit for me.”