Folsom Patrons of the Arts Scholarship... 2010 Winners

Folsom Patrons of the Arts has selected winners for its 2009 Folsom Focus photo contest.  Over 140 entries from contestants of all ages were submitted to the contest, now in its 4th year.  Contestants could select among six subject categories to submit their photographs: Bridges, Faces, Fun, Old and New, Outdoors, and Black and White.  Per contest rules, all photographs had to be taken in Folsom.  Winning the coveted Best of Show grand prize of $100 was Rachel Zirin of Folsom with her black and white photo titled “Black Hat.”  Zirin, daughter of Seth and Abbi Zirin, is a junior at Vista del Lago High School and created the image in her photography class under the instruction of Lori Emmington.  She is a member of Vista del Lagos’s Dance Team and intends to study journalism at California State University at Chico.  First place winners in the individual categories were: Andrew Callanan, Amanda King, and Emmi Warford (Under 12 age group), Robbie Agar, Ashli Christ, Riley Stair, and Nathan Vetter (Under 18), and David Alvarez, Menka Belgal, Mike Ekern, Tina Kehoe, and Darin Slade (Over 18).  All first place winners received a cash award of $25.  Second and third place runners-up were: Chris Callanan, Holly Janelle Cardosa, Karen Diffley, Jennifer Duval, Marisa Franz, Stella Kim, Ron Knight, Traci Miller Stephanie Redhair, Elena Sheskier, Noah Swartz, and Penni Warford.  Judges for the contest were local photographers Richard Jones and Allister Oliver, Don Chaddock of the Folsom Telegraph newspaper, and Wendy Sipple of Sierrastyle Publishing.  All photos submitted to the contest are on display until January 7 at The Gallery at 48 Natoma located at 48 Natoma.

"Folsom Firecracker" selects Patrons as Benefactor

"Folsom Firecracker" selected Folsom Patrons of the Arts to be one of six local nonprofit beneficiaries to receive funds from this 5 and 10K fun-run. 1,000 runners participated in this inaugural event. Participants selected which charity they wanted their funds to go to. Proceeds will help Folsom Patrons of the Arts fund the Folsom scholarship, photo contest and other arts programs.

 Katie Rose Cunin, of Folsom, was selected as the 2009 recipient.  Cunin, a senior at Folsom High School, has been actively involved in the choral and drama programs at FHS, where she starred in the school's productions of Oklahoma, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Noises Off.  She is well experienced in ballet, having trained and danced for 13 years with the Hawkins School of Performing Arts, Folsom Lake Civic Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance.  She also choreographed Millie and was nominated for a Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance Elly Award.  Achieving a near-perfect GPA, Cunin has excelled in Advanced Placement courses, including French and Environmental Science, was a National Merit Commended Scholar, and was inducted into the National Honor Society.  Outside of the classroom and stage, Cunin won the title of 2008 Miss Sacramento County's Outstanding Teen, and has used her public appearances and contributed several hundred hours of volunteer effort to promote education in performing arts.  She will attend the University of California at Los Angeles in the Fall of 2009, pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Musical Theater.   For her achievements and passion, Folsom Patrons of the Arts has awarded her a one-time scholarship in the amount of $2500.

 Two honorable mentions were also selected for this scholarship, Tisha Smith and Thomas Matzat.  Both Smith and Matzat are students at Folsom Lake College.  Smith, of Eldorado Hills, is studying studio art and art history, specializes in painting and drawing, and purses interests in history and anthropology.  She is a member of FLC's S.O.D.A. (Student Organization for Developing Art) and aspires to teach art at a community college.  Matzat, of Eldorado Hills, specializes in portrait drawing and since 2004 has taken art lessons from local instructor Tamara Ruiz.  He is the president of the Art club at FLC and intends to become an art instructor himself. Both students were awarded scholarships in the amount of $500 each.

See examples of the works of these exceptional artists at the Artist Support Page 

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