By Daily Press staff
Watch out Vincent Van Gogh. Kelly Wong, age 12, and Jun Cha, 15, of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica were named winners in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Fine Arts Competition sponsored by L’Oreal. The competition encourages girls and boys to learn and practice art, so that they may express themselves in creative and innovative ways, officials say.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica hosted the Pacific region competition in March with an exhibit of the 37 regional finalists at Fröden Gallery in West L.A. Acclaimed local artists D.J. Hall, David Brady and Gus Harper judged the competition. The Santa Monica Club had three youth with four pieces of art proceed to the national competition level. Six regions competed with several thousand pieces of art submitted from clubs across the country. The artwork was judged and categorized by age group and medium.
Kelly Wong won the national prize for her acrylic painting “Give Peace a Chance,” in the 10-to-12 age group. Jun Cha, who also won the national competition in 2004 for his oil painting “Bus Stop,” won this year in two categories: Acrylic or oil painting, ages 13 to 15, for his piece “American Me;” and mixed media ages 13 to 15 for his piece “Crossroads.” Also receiving an Honorable Mention was club member Tamara Adams, 17, for her oil painting entitled “Old Man.”
The Boys and Girls Club has played a role in the Santa Monica community for over 60 years, providing daily programs and services to over 4,000 young people. The club has programs in academics, computers and technology, athletics, the arts, character and leadership building, and skateboarding and rollerblading in the club’s skate park.
For more information about the Boys and Girls Club, call 310-393-9629 or visit www.smbgc.org. From childhood to adulthood
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 11, 2005. Read the original PDF.