Sculpture student wins Outstanding Student Achievement Award
SUNY New Paltz student Savannah Blum (BFA – Sculpture, ’14) has been awarded the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award for 2014. Savannah’s instructors at SUNY New Paltz, Associate Professors Steve Bradford and Emily Puthoff of the Sculpture Department, nominated her for this award.
Paul Kassel,interim dean of the School of Fine & Performing Arts said, “We in the School of Fine & Performing Arts are supremely proud of Savannah’s achievement. In many ways, she exemplifies the very best about our New Paltz students in her determination, her talent, and intelligence. Savannah transferred here in her sophomore year and immediately made the Dean’s list while maintaining a full load in the BFA sculpture program. She graduated this spring Magna Cum Laude — a truly outstanding achievement. Then, to top it off, she has been selected for this prestigious honor, proving that our best students match up with the best in the world. It is also a testament to our wonderful faculty — Professors Bradford and Puthoff — and their terrific mentorship, excellent instruction, and their keen eyes for talent in nominating Savannah. We look forward to Savannah’s future accomplishments, which are sure to be many.”
A distinguished panel of judges selected this year’s 22 recipients and 25 honorable mentions from the more than 900 images of works submitted. This year’s award recipients will participate in the Grounds for Sculpture’s Fall/Winter exhibition, which will be on view from October 2014 to March 2015 in Hamilton, New Jersey, adjacent to the ISC headquarters. The ISC is also the publisher of Sculpture magazine, where Savannah’s award-winning work, along with the works of her co-awardees, will be featured in the October 2014 issue.
The International Sculpture Center (ISC) established the annual Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award program in 1994 to recognize young sculptors and to encourage their continued commitment to the field. The program is also designed to draw attention to the sculpture programs of the participating universities, colleges, and art schools, including more than 151 universities, colleges, and art school sculpture programs from six countries for a nominated total of 374 students.
The International Sculpture Center is a member-supported, nonprofit organization founded in 1960 to champion the creation and understanding of sculpture and its unique, vital contribution to society. Members include sculptors, collectors, patrons, architects, developers, journalists, curators, historians, critics, educators, foundries, galleries, and museums — anyone with an interest in and commitment to the field of sculpture.