Each April for the past nine years, I have personally been involved in the process of interviewing, evaluating and determining funding for applicants for Homer Council on the Arts youth summer fine arts scholarship program. Each year I am grateful for and inspired by the opportunity to spend even a short amount of time with a diverse, dedicated and inspiring group of youth artists.
This year's group of applicants is applying for funding to pursue summer intensives in visual arts, music, dance and theater at such prestigious venues as The American Suzuki Institute, Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Idyllwild, Interlochen Center for the Arts and Anchorage Classical Ballet Academy. Excellent local teachers and programs including Brad Hughes, Cherish Bee McCallum, Lisa Shallock and Harbor School of Music will provide lessons for recipients wishing to study locally.
The origins of this scholarship program date back to the 1970s when a small group of artists used local dance and music concerts to raise funds for Homer youth to immerse themselves in programs and workshops under the instruction of seasoned teachers and other serious students.
This usually meant students chose to leave Homer to receive the quality they were craving for their art form. It has been with great pride and pleasure I have witnessed more and more students choosing local teachers and programs that offer quality equal to what is available nationwide.
The scholarship program was originally designed to not only help youth artists hone their skills, but also to give them the added experience of participating in the process of being interviewed and adjudicated. Applicants must turn in a completed application, an essay stating what their art form means to them and two letters of recommendation.
In addition, applicants are interviewed by the scholarship committee with regard to their commitment, expectations of their chosen program, art awareness and confidence. Finally, adjudication from an adult artist in their art form completes the process.
The scholarship committee has received consistent feed back from recipients that participating in the process of being interviewed and adjudicated gave them confidence to apply for their first job and/or to seek out other kinds of auditions.
For me, being involved for many years has allowed me to watch the growth and development of many scholarship recipients. Watching a nervous sixth-grade recipient with minimum confidence bloom into an eleventh grade seasoned applicant continues to inspire me.
There are so many dedicated artists and teachers in Homer who work to enrich the lives of our young people. Often, we are unable to quantify the impact of the time and energy we give to these children. I can say with full confidence that every teacher, mentor and friend to a child makes a huge impact on their lives, their values and their choices. I often think we should be more concerned about making too much of an impact than not enough of one.
Finally, if you are a music, dance, theater or visual arts teacher in Homer, it should please you to know that your name has most likely been given when applicants are asked, "Is there an artist in your art form that you particularly admire?"
Polly Prindle-Hess is a Homer resident who serves on the Homer Council on the Arts board of directors and the Homer High School Site Council.
