Congratulations to the Winners of Our 2024
Visual
Arts and Performing Arts Awards!
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Left to right: Keilani Bolhuis, Ava Weisberg, Claire Richards
Keilani Bolhuis, recipient of this year’s Roman Andrew Borek Endowed Scholarship, is also the winner of our Performing Arts Competition in Violin. She is a student at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music and currently studies classical violin, jazz piano, and jazz violin. Keilani won the branch and regional levels of the Southern California Junior Bach Festival in piano performance; she was awarded the National Gold Medal by the Royal Conservatory of Music and invited to perform at the Celebration of Excellence Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in January of last year. Keilani is a senior at California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley High School.
Ava Weisberg’s nonno (her grandfather) was a proud Italian artist, and when he saw Ava’s childhood projects, he declared she would be an artist too. She has certainly fulfilled that prophecy. Ava began sculpting at age 14, studying under Alejandro Buchner at his studio, and started at the California Institute of the Arts in the fall of 2021, where she has extended her studies to include drawing, painting, and digital arts. Ava feels deeply connected to Los Angeles, appreciating the city’s storied past and knowing the city will always have her heart.
Claire Richards is a multimedia artist, working in photography, painting, poetry, & means yet to be defined. Her work is an ongoing attempt to observe & understand the intricacies of the external world while learning how to exist within it. She has a BFA in Photography and Media from California Institute of the Arts and is currently based in Los Angeles, CA. She is co-founder of Avenue A Gallery, who had their inaugural group show A House Show in November 2023. She is also co-founder of Word Art Magazine, launching 2024.
Our Great Thanks
The Fine Arts Club extends its thanks to the faculties and staff at the many schools across Southern California who help to facilitate our Visual Arts Awards and Performing Arts Competitions every year.
This year in particular, we want to acknowledge art lover Edie Magoun, who was so helpful in this year’s Visual Arts Competition.
Our Performing Arts Competition would not have been possible this year without the expertise of Dr. Stephen McCurry, the Executive Director of the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. We’re happy to note that Dr. McCurry is also an honorary member of the Fine Arts Club of Pasadena.
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2023:
Dallin L. Moe (Otis College of Art and Design/ Mixed Media), Emily Macauley Eid (USC/painting) Javier Morales Martinez (USC, Colburn School / clarinet)
2022:
Visual Arts – Joyce Lee (USC / Mixed Media) and Archer Defterios
(USC / Painting)
Performing Arts – Brahm Sasner (Acalanes High School / Jazz
Piano)
2021:
Visual Arts – Jacqueline Forest Andrews
(USC / Mixed Media) and Ixchel Hernandez (CSU-Northridge / Oil and Mixed Media)
Performing Arts – Brendon
Grabowski (USC / Classical Guitar) and Garrett Podgorski (Pepperdine /
Classical Guitar
2020:
Visual Arts - Alexis Ramos
(CSU-Northridge; Mixed Media) and Ashu Gera
(CAL ARTS; Mixed Media)
Performing
Arts - Robert Ellis Knight (USC; Vocals/Musical Theatre),
Abby Holland (Moorpark College: Vocals/Musical Theatre) and Gabriel Vernon
Nunag (AMDA; Vocals/Musical Theatre)
2019:
Visual
Arts - Benicia King (USC; Photography) and Teryn
Sampaga (USC; Multimedia, Illustration)
Performing Arts - Jared Jones (UCLA;
baritone, with Michele Scanlon, collaborative pianist)
2018:
Visual Arts -
Monica Moreno (PCC; Jewelry) and Catherine Thoss (PCC; Computer
Abstract)
Performing Arts - Rainer Crossett (USC; Cello, with
Tsumi Kashiwagi, collaborative pianist)
2017:
Visual Arts -
Esther Moon (Art Center College of Design)
Performing Arts -
Jesse Reyes (PCC; Piano)
2016:
Visual Arts - Maeva
Ribas (Art Center College of Design)
Performing Arts -
Yelana Dyachek (USC; Voice, with Aram Arakelyan, collaborative
pianist)
2015:
Visual Arts -
Amanda Percy (PCC) and Martin Francisco (Art Center College of
Design)
Performing Arts - Tim Richardson (USC; Viola, with
Dawoon Chung, collaborative pianist)