Livingston Arts Renames Scholarship in Honor of Staff Sgt. Gleason-Morrow

LIVINGSTON COUNTY – Livingston Arts and Livingston County Veteran’s Services Agency jointly announce that the Scholastic Arts Scholarships will be renamed the Staff Sergeant Alexandria Mae Gleason Morrow Art Scholarship Awards.

According to a press release from Livingston Arts, two seniors pursuing an arts-related field in college will receive the annual scholarships underwritten by Steed Energy, now renamed the Staff Sergeant Alexandria Mae Gleason Morrow Art Scholarship Awards, after the fallen Dansville airman who aspired to be an art teacher after her military career.

“Even after her passing, Airman Gleason Morrow continues to serve, opening the door for others to a career in the arts, sadly one that she will never pass through herself,” said Jason Skinner, Director of Veteran Services for Livingston County. “Alexandria was a student artist in our Scholastic Art Show. Her enthusiasm and love for art enriched her entire community. We are honored to commemorate her by naming this scholarship as a memorial to her and her dream to become an art teacher.”

Prize-winning student art from high school students throughout the Genesee Valley region at Livingston Arts, 4 Murray Hill Drive, Mount Morris, from Saturday, April 1, 2017 through Saturday, April 29, 2017, Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show is free and open to the public, as is the closing reception on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 3 p.m.

Executive Director Harris also announced that Airman Gleason Morrow’s family will receive a lifetime membership at Livingston Arts, offering free admission and use of the facility.

Airman Gleason Morrow is a former participant in the Livingston Arts Scholastic Art Show. Dansville Superintendent Paul Alioto has agreed to loan her vibrant and energetic mixed media work, ‘Chucks,’ from Dansville High School to Livingston Arts from Wednesday, April 26 through Saturday, April 29, 2017.

The Scholastic Art Show featured over 600 works from over 150 area students. Participating schools included: Avon, Dansville, Geneseo, Lima Christian, Livonia, Mount Morris, Pavilion, Warsaw, Wayland-Cohocton and York Schools.

The judges for this year’s show were Sharon Leary, Marlene Hamann-Whitmore, and Jennifer DeVille Catalano. The judges awarded over 100 prizes at the exhibit of all the works shown at York Central School on Saturday, March 25.

Hamann-Whitmore is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Livingston Arts and currently the McPherson Director of Academic Programs at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY. Catalano is a writer and photographer whose work has been published in national print magazines such as Bella Grace, Mabel, and Kindred. Sharon Leary is a ceramic artist well known to local schools for live demonstrations of Korean pottery techniques combined with a reading of the novel A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park, set in 12th-century Korea.

“The show gave great insight into young people’s minds. What is important? The passions and interests of student came through in all the works,” said Sharon Leary. “The range was incredible. There were young artists growing into their potential, learning and experimenting. Others were remarkable by a college or professional standard. As judges, it was tough to choose between excellent and excellent.”

Teachers submitted student artwork across 11 different media including drawing, painting, mixed media, film photography, digital photography, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, graphic arts/2D design, computer art graphics and studio art. Subjects ranged from social commentary to renditions of comic book figures to environmental issues. The public is invited to the closing reception where two seniors will each receive a scholarship of $200 to students pursuing the arts or an arts-related field in college, underwritten by Steed Energy.

For more information please contact Lin Callahan, Program Director 585.243.6785 or email lin@livingstonarts.org.

Anyone looking for more information on the scholarship and exhibits is encouraged to contact Betsy Harris, Executive Director of Livingston Arts, at (585)243-6785 or email betsy@livingstonarts.org.

Anyone looking for more information on Veteran’s Services is encouraged to contact Jason Skinner, Director of Veteran Services, at (585)243-7960 or jskinner@co.livingston.ny.us.