ARC Scholarship Winners 2021
The ARC Scholarship Fund Distributes $30,000 in Direct Scholarships to Aid Students at ARC Approved™ Art Academy and Atelier Schools
As those familiar with ARC and its mission know, the organization is involved in numerous projects, all in support of a return to an appreciation of great and enduring art, to the visual expression of shared humanity, and to academic, skill-based, art education. At ARC we view our scholarship program as one of the most important. In order for future generations to produce great art, we must not lose the accumulated knowledge of the last several centuries. At our ARC Approved Atelier™ schools, we know these methods are still taught by some of the greatest artists alive today and the students who are the recipients of these scholarships will receive the training necessary to create great works of art and carry the knowledge to the next generation. For 20 years now, the ARC Scholarship Fund has awarded scholarships to some of the most talented emerging realist artists in the world and helped them continue their studies at ARC Approved Ateliers and Schools. From relatively modest beginnings in 2001, the number of entrants and qualifying Ateliers has expanded rapidly. In 2001 there were 14 ARC Approved Ateliers and today we proudly list over 85 schools and programs. We are proud to have been able to provide over $440,000 to date, enabling us to support an ever-growing number of students and the institutions they attend. The quality of the work continues to astound us, and many of our past winners have gone on to achieve great things in their careers already. Some who have won scholarships in the past have now opened their own ateliers with their own students competing in this very same competition. Others have stayed to contribute their expertise at their alma maters, continuing the great academic tradition so important to our philosophy here at ARC.
This year we have introduced The Brian Yoder Memorial Scholarship which will be an ongoing award in the ARC Scholarship Competition. This award went to Lara Saunders as the top prize winner of the competition. Brian Yoder (1961–2021) was a founder of the Art Renewal Center, served as its webmaster for many years and stayed a member of our staff as a technical advisor until his passing. Brian's legacy endures in the lives of those he encountered. Brian loved art. He indulged his passion to educate the world about fine art and realized his goal in collaboration with Fred Ross with the creation of the Art Renewal Center. His encyclopedic knowledge of myriad subjects, including philosophy, science, history, politics, economics, business, art, music, literature, design, and computer science were appreciated by all who knew him and always kept him poised for the next great debate. His visionary ideas were often years, if not decades, ahead of their time.
In addition, we have awarded for the first time, the AAPL Award, which went to Ryan Gondarowski. The American Artists Professional League (AAPL) is dedicated to the advancement of traditional realism in American fine art, through the promotion of high standards of beauty, integrity and craftsmanship in painting, sculpture and the graphic arts. This $2,000 award amount has been generously donated to the Art Renewal Center by the AAPL.
Additional awards include two 1st place awards, two 2nd place awards, and five 3rd place awards. The Art Renewal Center™ is very pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Annual Scholarship Competition.
This Year's Judges
Fred Ross ARC Chairman
Frederick C. Ross, Founder and Chairman of the Art Renewal Center, Ross is the leading authority on William Bouguereau and co-author of the Catalogue Raisonné William Bouguereau: His Life and Works. Ross received his MA in art education from Columbia University. His speeches and essays are read by thousands of professionals, educators, students and fans each year; and have become required reading in countless classrooms. Ross is also a well known collector of 19th century European painting and of Contemporary Realism as well. Art Educator/lecturer; President of Bouguereau Committee; Art Expert and Collector, Writer; Artist; Published Art Historian on the 19th Century; ARC Salon and Scholarship Judge
Dr. Vern Swanson
Swanson has his Phd from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, England and is the former Director of the Springville Museum of Art, Utah, where he served for 30 years. He is a lecturer/scholar/writer and expert on 19th Century European Art and Russian Art through the 20th Century. Swanson is the leading authority on Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and John William Godward and author of the Catalogue Raisonnés for both artists. In total, the number of books Swanson has published is well into the teens.
Awards are given based on a portfolio of 10 to 15 works, as well as a biography/CV, essay, and three letters of recommendation. Click on the artists listed below to view a selection of some of the best work submitted by the winning individuals.
