Arts Scholarships Boost College-Bound Iowa Students
Iowa’s high school seniors haven’t had much to cheer about this spring. No proms, no skip days. No graduation ceremonies. No fun at all.
But four of them got a boost this month by receiving an Iowa Scholarship for the Arts award from the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs:
– Darien Dennis of West Marshall in State Center
– Aidan Drake of Valley in West Des Moines
– Aviana Gedler of Valley in West Des Moines
– Claire Graham of Holy Trinity Catholic in Fort Madison
The award is given annually to Iowa high school students with a proven artistic ability in dance, creative writing, music, theater, traditional arts or visual arts who plan to attend an Iowa college or university during the next academic year and pursue a major in the arts. Each student will receive $1,500 for their 2020–2021 college tuition and related expenses as a full-time undergraduate at a fully accredited Iowa college or university.
Here’s a look at this year’s recipients and their plans for college:
Darien Dennis
West Marshall High School
State Center
College: University of Iowa
Major: Fine Arts
Darien Dennis’ art forms range from two-dimensional illustration to acrylic paints and pastels. In illustrative pieces, she focuses on realistic, blended shades and soft, textured lines. When it comes to abstract or impressionist works, she uses contrast and saturation as much as possible and sharp, bold lines. Her works often rely on feelings and thoughts that transcend time, such as confidence, wonder, joy and anticipation.
“Using these concepts frees me from the confusion of my real-world problems,” she says. “Through art, I can create anything I want straight from my mind even if it didn’t exist before. It’s therapeutic because it allows me to laser-focus my thoughts on accomplishing one goal my very own special way. It is especially fulfilling when I end up with a personal, finished product to hang on my wall.”
She plans to study fine arts at the University of Iowa.
“Receiving the arts scholarship is the biggest thing to me,” she said. “It’s a real validation that I have a chance to pursue my dreams. If I hadn’t gotten any scholarships I would have given up and pursued something else. I’ve always wanted to do art, and now that somebody is taking me seriously, that’s a really big deal.”
Aidan Drake
Valley High School
West Des Moines
College: University of Iowa
Major: Art Education
Aidan Drake says she was “just over the moon” when she learned she received an Iowa Scholarship for the Arts award.
“I felt so honored to be recognized along with the others,” she says. “It was just an honor to find out that I had been recognized.”
Next fall, she will pursue a degree in art at the University of Iowa and plans to become an elementary school art teacher. She believes art helps others experience the full range of emotions — happiness and sadness, calm and anger, good and evil, fulfillment and emptiness.
“My elementary and high school art teachers have shown me the joy art can bring and have instilled a passion for creating that I will never forget,” she says. “I want to be that person for kids in the future, to do my best to teach the wonders of art and show children their full potential when it comes to their creative minds.”
Aviana Gedler
Valley High School
West Des Moines
College: Southwestern Community College
Major: Professional Music
Whether it’s playing the viola, oboe, piano or singing, Aviana Gedler is a one-woman tour de force in music.
It’s a passion she’ll pursue next fall at Southwestern Community College in Creston, where she’ll major in professional music. Ultimately, she wants to perform or sing with an orchestra while working as a music teacher.
Her college experience will be a rigorous, music-immersed experience with courses in classical and jazz voice and piano, along with jazz theory, arranging and viola performance.
“The variety is great because I can study multiple areas of music with intensity instead of honing in on just one,” she says. “The more I can learn, like being able to write vocal charts, use equipment in a recording studio, comp (accompany) easily on piano, or play in a chamber string group, the easier it will be for me to adapt to a changing world of music careers.”
Claire Graham
Holy Trinity Catholic
Fort Madison
College: University of Iowa
Major: English
“My mother read ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott aloud to my sister and me at very young ages,” says Claire Graham. “We took turns sitting on mom’s back putting small braids in her hair, windows open in the summer evening heat as humid air wafted through the screen. We didn’t have air conditioning back then, but we were too focused on the story to care.”
That experience inspired Graham’s dreams to become a writer by pursuing a degree in English next fall at the University of Iowa. Inspired by the likes of Oscar Wilde, she wants to follow the footsteps of Dean Young and Kenneth Koch — two of her favorite poets — and attend the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
“When I get to college, I am excited to immerse myself in the literary culture of Iowa City and be with like-minded people,” she says. “It’s my goal to be both a published author and teacher one day — to focus my craft on what I love and encourage others to do the same. Writing has already helped me through so much. To be able to share my skills would give me a sense of completeness and a reassurance that I have done some good for the world.”
By Jeff Morgan, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
