TJ student wins $5000 scholarship for Art Institute of Denver.
Alden Weissfeld, one of TJ’s outstanding juniors won a very important award from the Art Institute and will have his work displayed in one of America’s most prestigious galleries, the 2009 Congressional Art Show.
Weissfeld is now the owner of a $5,000 scholarship to the Art Institute of Denver and three tickets to travel to Washington D.C. on June 24th to present his art in full display. “I’m going to travel to see the unveiling ceremony for about 50 art pieces, one chosen from each state,” said Weissfeld. Even though he won the 2nd place scholarship for Colorado, Weissfeld’s work was still chosen as the state’s representative piece.
Weissfeld submitted the portrait of a Native American on the day of the deadline, since he had found out about the contest through a phone call his mother had received just the day before. Since there was no theme for the contest, he entered one of the pieces he liked the most, and which many agree was a great choice. “I had no idea who the person I airbrushed is. I just thought it was a really good picture. People have told me who he is [Sitting Bull], but I just chose it because it was a really good picture,” said Weissfeld, who gets most of the ideas for his work from the internet, just picking pictures he finds to be interesting. To create his work he uses airbrushing and automotive paint, a skill he learned from taking private airbrushing classes at the Ratart Studio.
“Alden is a great student. He is an amazing painter and air brusher, and his classes at the studio have really paid off in the contest he has entered,” said Brooke Stoyer, Weissfeld’s advanced art teacher at TJ. He has also entered many of the art contests here in DPS schools and recently won 2nd place in this year’s annual art contest, which chooses its work from many of the metro-area middle and high schools. “Alden is so talented. His work is great,” said Stoyer.
Having so much talent, it’s surprising to learn that Alden Weiissfield does not plan to pursue a career in art after high school. He plans to study engineering or something similar, and have art as a backup if that plan doesn’t work out well. “Art is just a hobby that I’m really good at, but once I’m forced to do it for a living it won’t be something I’ll like anymore,” he said.
