Written by Anissa Oceansey
Spring is scholarship season, and art students have a chance to sow seeds of success in this year’s art scholarship competition.
The annual art scholarship competition has existed at Palomar for 15 years, and all art majors enrolled in studio classes on campus can partake. The deadline to apply and submit artwork to be eligible for the scholarship is April 24.
The stakes are that a monetary prize will be awarded to any student willing to submit their art to be critiqued by a panel of judges.
Art department chair, Mark Hudelson has 20 years of experience as an instructor under his belt. He also serves as the art department’s scholarship coordinator, in addition to teaching an art history class on campus.
“There’s funding we get from administration,” Hudelson said. “As far as scholarship money goes, the source comes from private donors who have a connection with Palomar.”
Heads within the Palomar College foundation like Kim Hartwell, scholarship coordinator, are the blood and bones of scholastic commerce. Hartwell notes there’s a preference when it comes to funding academic disciplines.
“It’s hard to find donors with a philanthropic interest in art. It’s not seen as a viable career,” Hartwell said.
Hartwell notes the scholarship program on campus has doubled in the past decade.
“I love art. I think supporting the arts is extremely important,” Hartwell said. “My goal is to keep making art based scholarships available.”
Most of Palomar’s art donors have an affinity for art, or financially contribute to memorial scholarships, such as the Jonathan Downey scholarship previously awarded in the Digital Broadcast Arts program.
In the same vein of memorial scholarships, the Distinction Gallery in Escondido is providing a $500 scholarship to art students enrolled in at least nine units this spring. The donation was curated in the memory of Charles Leslie Walker who passed away from Lewy body disease.
The amount of money applicants have a chance at claiming for themselves varies. According to Hudelson, awards range from $250-$500.
Students interested must complete their application, and abide by a strict deadline to submit their work. Students can enter up to six pieces of art they’ve created within the past two years.
Students who work with a variety of different artistic mediums are welcome to put their skills to the test.
“Within the art department, there are studio classes for painting, ceramics, drawing, and beyond,” Hudelson said.
Scholarships are reserved for students with special qualifications, such as academic, athletic or artistic talent. Students enrolled in professor Hudelson’s art history course have an opportunity to enter in earning the scholarship by filling out a separate application.
“I get a lot of students who aren’t art majors because it fulfills their general education requirement,” Hudelson said.
Larger scholarships are often reserved for STEM programs, but Palomar donors with a maganetism to art have continued to fill that void for over a decade.
Rikayah Crawford 25, a Digital Broadcast Arts major at Palomar is a firm supporter of the arts.
“The arts is a critical element of humanity and should be nurtured” she said.
“Most scholarships are broad and academic based. Art students are our own little niche,” Hudelson said. “Scholarships dedicated to this small community of artists is a great way to make them feel included.”