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Monson Arts Council Scholarship Awarded

The Monson Arts Council has awarded its second annual arts scholarship of $1,000.00 to Megan Lamontagne, a graduating senior at Monson High School. Megan has had an outstanding academic record in her four years of high school, finishing third overall in class ranking. She is a design student with a varied portfolio who has been accepted for the fall at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.

The scholarship is awarded "to any high school senior who has lived in the town of Monson for at least two years. The candidate should have a demonstrated interest and involvement in the arts." Applicants were asked to submit a portfolio or video/audio tape as appropriate, and were required to write a 250 word essay explaining the importance of the arts to their life and their community. The award goes toward their college expenses, and is contingent upon being in good academic standing after their first semester.

In her essay on the importance of art, Megan settled on a broad definition of art as design in all its applications. Seen in this way, it is everywhere and all important: "A world without art is plain and boring – it's nothingness." She also addressed the importance of art in her life: "Art is my way of individualizing myself from others…it's my way of expressing myself without words or actions… I like knowing that my art speaks for myself but reaches out to others."

The scholarship is funded by means of the Monson Arts Council talent show, which will be presented for the third time on October 2. It will be a wonderful evening. All proceeds from the show go to support our scholarship award. The arts Council has made it a permanent fixture on the fall calendar, and is preparing to expand the scholarship award in the coming year.

MAC 2009 Talent Show a Night to be Remembered!

October 5, 2009 - For the full house which attended the Monson Arts Council's 2nd annual talent show this past Saturday evening, it was truly a night to be remembered. The show sparkled with some amazing talent, which was received enthusiastically by the crowd all evening long. There were no glitches, a tribute to both the performers and the volunteers who put the show together. It ended with a spectacular display of Korean martial arts, which entertained the crowd while the judges were deliberating.

The judges awarded the three advertised prizes, plus four honorable mentions to some very deserving performers. First prize went to Ian Weber and Timmy Chavez with a stunning performance of a duet from the show "Wicked" entitled "What is this feeling?". The Webers are indeed a talented family: Ian's sisters Emily and Alison Weber also performed, and both acts were accompanied on the piano by their mother.

Second prize went to Jonathan Doherty for a jazz dance routine, "This Time". He was one of a trio of wonderful dance acts from a single dance studio in Holyoke, also including Kayla Mayko and Yvonne Lacombe. Third prize went to Angela Odell for her rendering of the 3rd movement from the challenging Prokofiev piano sonata #4. One of the four honorable mention awards went to Yvonne Lacombe for her tap dance routine to "Me and Bobby Magee"; the others were Stephen Ross, with an electric song/dance performance of "Poker Face", Hunter Foote with a wonderful medley of three fiddle tunes on the violin, and Christina Richard for the piano rendition of her original piece "As Time Passes".

In addition, Christina received a special award from the Scholarship Committee, entitled the "Sprint of the Arts" award. This award recognizes an artist whose dedication to and passion for the arts sets a standard which can be a model for us all. Christina, who has to overcome a physical challenge just to play, is an inspiring example of what the award was intended to recognize.

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