Five Landon students have been recognized in the 2021 Maryland Region of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Pierce Ryan ’22 and Peter Qiu ’21 both received Gold Key honors—awarded to the most accomplished works.  

"Being recognized any year is a big deal, but this year’s entries are worthy of recognition because, in some cases, the boys created their artwork for class when we were in Distance Learning last spring," said Upper School Art Teacher and Studio Arts Department Chair Ricky Sears '99. "It’s credit to Landon for keeping the art classes as part of the boys’ schedule. The artwork being created during the pandemic is so impressive. This year’s recipients are proud that their effort and skills are recognized. To me, this year’s artwork represents the boys’ ability to persevere, their work hard, and support they have for each other. When most of us have been consuming visual content on Netflix or social media, these boys were among those from Landon producing original content."

“I am not only thrilled to see my skills and creativity being recognized by professional artists but also grateful for all the help Landon Art Department provided me in order to bring this honor to our school,” said Peter. 

The piece that earned Peter the Gold Key is called “Breaking Apart.” He describes getting the idea from his favorite Yellowstone National Park geyser painting created during his sophomore year.  

“Earning an award at this level gave me a huge sense of accomplishment because of the amount of time that I spent on this particular piece,” said Pierce ’22. “I worked on it almost daily for about three weeks, painting in class and during free periods and lunch breaks.” 

Pierce’s painting was a part of a “Fool the Eye” project that sophomores complete in art class annually, which uses shading, colors, and shadows into tricking the eye into thinking the drawing or painting is a real object. He describes it as his favorite painting that he created at Landon.  

Of nearly three thousand pieces of art submitted, 94 Gold Keys were awarded. Three other Landon students also earned Honorable Mentions in the art competition. Those students include Baxter Brew ’21, Riley Knebel ’22, and Henry Prince ’22. Peter also received three Silver Keys and two Honorable Mentions. 

"Peter Qiu ’21 earned an honorable mention last year, but persevered to create exceptional drawings earning him a Gold Key, Silver Key, and significant recognition for his portfolio this year; and hard work is on display in Peter’s “Breaking Apart,” Pierce Ryan ’22’s painting, and Riley Knebel ‘22’s drawing that are so precise in their observations that they 'fool the eye.'" Sears explained. "There is a brotherhood at Landon and it is on display in Baxter Brew ‘21’s portrait of his classmate Kino Lilly ‘21. Baxter completed this painting on his own at home, which is so inspiring because he knows how important art is to him. (Baxter won the Anthony A. Tappe ‘46 Award, the highest award at Landon for Painting and Drawing.) Henry Prince ’22 shows originality by earning an Honorable Mention for his invented “Man on the Moon” composition.

Landon’s art classes support every student to create artwork they are proud of, and art teachers have encouraged students to enter the Scholastic contest in years past to be recognized in our region. These boys display the techniques my art colleagues instruct, and the characteristics of excellence that they and Landon faculty more broadly foster in students every day. I’m so happy our students share what they create, and that the community gets to celebrate their achievement with them here."

All recipients are invited to a virtual ceremony in March to honor their outstanding work.