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Posters Earn Scholastic Art Prize for Westland John Glenn Grad

Posted on: Monday, 12 June 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Sharon Gittleman, Detroit Free Press

Jun. 12--What do Andy Warhol, Robert Redford and Truman Capote have in common with 18-year-old Brandon O'Sullivan of Westland?

All of them won Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, given to talented students in a variety of disciplines. O'Sullivan is one of nearly 1,400 national winners in this year's competition. The awards ceremony was held last week at a gala reception at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

O'Sullivan won a gold medal for two posters that will be displayed with other winning entries July 1-Aug. 6 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. One poster is a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the other depicts an archaeological artifact that illustrates the importance of saving antiquities.

The recent John Glenn graduate worked on the posters at the William D. Ford Career-Technical Center in Westland. He learned of his honor from Ford graphic design teacher Steve Paulsen.

"I didn't really know what to do," O'Sullivan said. "I was really surprised and really, really happy."

The award has been in existence for 83 years and competition is open to students in grades 7-12, said Cathy Lasiewicz, spokeswoman for the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, the group that administers the program. Judges evaluate students in dozens of categories, from journalism to sculpture.

O'Sullivan, who graduated June 3, studied graphic design for two years.

"The computer gives your creativity free rein," he said. "There aren't very many limits."

His King poster offers a portrait of the civil rights icon on which he superimposed color squares to create a collage-like effect. In the other entry, O'Sullivan centered an urn carved with figures, topped it with stripes in muted tones and added text on each side.

"I like being original and doing something that someone will say, 'Wow, I never thought of that before,' " he said.

O'Sullivan hopes his award will help him snag a scholarship. And it could open a few doors at good colleges, said Paulsen.

"He's a great kid," the teacher said. "He has a real passion for designing."

O'Sullivan earned an award because his work demonstrated the highest level of technical achievement, was fresh and had a unique style, said B.J. Adler, executive director of the Alliance.

"These kids, because of their creative ability, will be the future leaders of our country in a troubling time, because of their ability to look at things with a fresh eye and come up with new solutions," Adler said.

O'Sullivan said he would like to attend the Art Institute of Chicago to study graphic design and learn more about editing videos.

"I don't have any giant, grand dreams," he said. "I take one day at a time."

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Copyright (c) 2006, Detroit Free Press

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Source: Detroit Free Press

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