2006 Senior Student Art Scholarship

Since 1986, the Marblehead Festival of Arts, Inc. has awarded a scholarship to a high school senior who resides in or attends school in Marblehead, and who is pursuing higher education in visual arts, performing arts, crafts, music, drama or writing. In awarding the $3,000 scholarship, the Festival’s objective is to encourage graduates interested in pursuing the arts professionally to acquire a sound academic grounding in their chosen fields. The criteria considered by the art Festival’s Scholarship Committee include financial need, academic and art achievements, art-related and other activities, both in and out of school, and any honors or special citations received.

Scholarship Committee Chair Steve Watson and his team that consisted of Jean Guastaferri, Deborah Kearns, Tammy Nohelty and Cathy Watson had a difficult time selecting the winning applicant from a field of such talented young men and women. The 2006 Art Scholarship winner, Anna Webster is a recent graduate of Marblehead High School who will attend Boston University’s College of Communications this fall and is planning to major in Journalism and minor in Graphic Design. Her interests lie in the area of magazine design and publishing, and she hopes to combine her love for writing with her passion for art into a dynamic major that will provide the stepping-stones to a successful professional career.

Anna certainly has the artistic genes in her favor with two parents who are graphic designers and a father, Steve Webster who designed the award-winning logo for this year’s Festival. When describing her work, Anna says, “I want to make a statement and get the audience involved.” During her years at Marblehead High School, Anna was a member of the National Honor Society and received an American Vision Award nomination from the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Show for her drawing in charcoal entitled, “Vertigo: A Self-Portrait on State Street”.

Recognized for her talent and leadership in school and the community, Anna was nominated to attend the Rotary Club’s Annual Youth Leadership Institute and was then nominated to attend the National Youth Leaders Conference to represent the state of Massachusetts. Anna was also the Grand Prize winner of the “Essence of Marblehead” art competition for all students attending Marblehead schools sponsored by the Abbot Public Library, and she has received an honorable mention for her writing in non-fiction from the Marblehead Festival of Arts.