Sculptural Narratives & Photographic Abstractions

This exhibition features the work of Drew Shields, one of six recipients of the national Scholastic Gold Medal Award for art portfolios, and of Leo Purman, one of two recipients of the national Scholastic Gold Medal Award for photography portfolios. Drew won as a senior attending Pius XI High School in Milwaukee; Leo, as a senior attending Nicolet High School in Glendale.

Each year, graduating seniors have the opportunity to submit a portfolio of eight works from their body of work to the Scholastic Art Awards—Wisconsin. In 2012, art and photography portfolios awarded a Gold Key in Wisconsin continued on with Gold Key–winning portfolios from seventy-six other regional competitions across the United States to compete at the national level. The Gold Medal Awards are the highest honor at the national level in this prestigious awards program.

The Scholastic Art Awards have been recognizing and encouraging excellence in the visual arts throughout the United States for over eighty-five years. Since 1976, the Wisconsin component has been hosted by the Milwaukee Art Museum, where thousands of young people and their teachers have been encouraged and inspired in their artistic endeavors. Many award winners go on to achieve distinction in the fields of fine and applied arts and design, and credit the early recognition they received as a participant in the Scholastic Art Awards.