The incredible talents of EA student artists are showcased during the annual Dora Khayatt Art Competition each spring. For this year's competition, Upper School students submitted more than 100 pieces of artwork for consideration in four categories: woodworking, photography, 3D, and 2D. The 2024 award winners were announced at the start of ArtsFest on Friday, April 26.
"It's always a surprise to walk into the [Crawford Campus Center] Gallery and prepare to hang the amazing selection of submitted artwork for this contest," said Visual Arts Chair David Sigel, Hon. "To step back and realize that these students were brave enough to put their work up for judging is inspiring. The strength, variety, and individual lenses that come through these unique pieces always brings such joy and pride to the Visual Art Department."
The 2024 winners included:
Woodworking
- 1st place: Emma Salva '24
- 2nd place: Sophia Hu '24
- 3rd place: Dylan Jaszcz '24
Photography
- 1st place: I'jaaz Abdul-Malik '24
- 2nd place: Luka Filipovski '25
- 3rd place: Gracie O'Neill '24
3D
- 1st place: Kaleigh Criville '24
- 2nd place: Velina Feuzeu '24
- 3rd place: Jacob Kim '25
2D
- 1st place: Anna Dobra '25
- 2nd place: Karen Shi '27
- 3rd place: Marcus Childs '24
"Finding out that I won Dora Khayatt in the visual arts division was an extremely exciting moment for me," said Anna Dobra '25. "To know that others see value in your artwork and appreciate the efforts it takes to create pieces of art is really rewarding and inspiring as an artist."
For many students, submitting their pieces in the fun competition is just an added bonus to their artistic process. Emma Salva '24, who most enjoys woodworking and sculptures, explained that she has been interested in art since Lower School. "I always looked forward to going to art class, and my parents validated my feelings by proudly showing them off to friends, family, and even hanging them up in their offices at work or on display on their desks," she said.
Emma said she loves that she can "imagine an idea for a project and make it come to life." As a "hands-on" person, she enjoyed helping her dad around the house with projects, which is where her love of woodshop was born. "Since then, with the help of Mr. Binstock and Mr. Sigel, I've been able to think of more elaborate projects, like my charcuterie board, and really bring them to life."
Anna, who also has been interested in art since an early age, said that it is "a form of expression" in which she finds joy. "For me, art is a time to completely let go of other stress in my life and lose myself in the act of creating," she said.
The winning artwork, along with the other submissions, can be found displayed in and around the Crawford Campus Center Gallery. See a slideshow of the winning pieces.
"This successful show, and the impressive spring exhibits showcasing student artwork across all school buildings, would not be possible without the dedication of our Visual Art Department members: Julie Choi, Meghan Cangi-Mammele, Ellen Erikson, Hilary Hutchison, and John Binstock," said Mr. Sigel. "I want to extend a huge thank you to these talented and passionate teachers."
The Dora Khayatt Awards were established in 1990 in memory of Dora Khayatt, an artist and the wife of former EA Classics Department Chair John Plant. The Dora Khayatt fund provides annual support for student awards for excellence in the fine arts and music.
The annual competition is open to every interested Upper School student artist. The 12 winning pieces of art were evaluated and selected by an outside judge who is an educator, entrepreneur, and photographer.
"To students who are considering entering the Dora Khayatt art competition, don't let other students' works get in the way of submitting your own artwork," Emma said. "Everyone has a different style and sense of self, which can be reflected into the art one creates. You don't want to be like everyone else; let your art shine in its own capacity, and if the judges or staff members can't see that, know that the entire Visual Art Department at Episcopal will be able to see it, and it doesn't diminish your hard work. Put yourself out there, and if you're unsuccessful, try again. I never thought that I would've won the Dora Khayatt competition, but my winning wouldn't have happened without my motivation following my failure in last year's competition."