Dalglish Art Award Recipient: Anna Gruodis ’24

We are so pleased to announce that Anna Gruodis ’24 was nominated as this year’s Peter Dalglish Art Award Recipient.

 

Each year, Lakefield College School awards a senior visual art student with the Peter Dalglish Art Award. The Peter Dalglish Art Award was established in 2014 by Geordie Dalglish ‘89 and Kim Dalglish Abell in honour of their father’s affection for Lakefield College School and his commitment to supporting young artists. The purpose of the award is to inspire, encourage, and recognize artistic talent at LCS by promoting promising young artists and their future contributions to art in Canada and beyond.

 

The recipient is selected by a panel of judges based on a portfolio and a written proposal. The recipient creates an original artwork which is then presented to the Head of School at Closing in June, to be displayed in a permanent collection. 

“Anna has been an active participant in the visual arts department since her grade 9 year and has had an active role with musicals, chapel, and the performing arts by assisting in the booth and with tech production. Anna is currently taking AP Art & Design and preparing a 2D portfolio. Anna enjoys creating with all media and actively seeks ways to push her artistic and creative boundaries by combining media in unique ways. Anna is drawing inspiration for her Dalglish artwork by exploring a sense of connection and growth that captures the significance of individual and collective joy and the collective development of the whole person.” - Ms. Morencie (Visual Arts Teacher) 

Anna, we wish you all the best as you begin to create your artwork for the Peter Dalglish collection. We look forward to seeing what you create in June. Congratulations!

It feels pretty surreal. I've been here since Grade 9 so I've had the chance to watch other award recipients complete and present their pieces. To now be on the receiving end of this award and have the opportunity to make and present my own piece is an incredible honour.

My grandmother enjoyed taking me to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts when I was young and painting with me in her apartment. This sparked my interest in visual arts and I could often be found sketching in the margins of my notebooks throughout elementary school and middle school. I began teaching myself how to use digital art programs and exploring different mediums as well. 

At LCS, I’ve been able to take a more involved and academic approach to visual arts, delving beyond my self-taught ability, focusing on learning multiple forms of media and expanding my understanding of the principles of art. By exploring visual arts in a more academic setting, I've been able to develop my skills by leaps and bounds from my previous ability. I primarily work digitally in my spare time, practising anatomy and completing commissions for people. However, I still enjoy visiting museums with my sketchbook and filling the pages with little studies!

When submitting my proposal, I wanted to find a common ground between my personal experience and the general LCS experience. Outdoors Every Day is something that Lakefield holds close to its core beliefs and it's one of the mottos I am most enthusiastic about, so I wanted to include outdoor themes in my draft. The central element of the maple tree represents not only my particular disposition to climb trees but also the symbol of the support granted to students as well as our connection to the outdoors and commitment to the environment. It's also based on the massive maple tree (a.k.a. Mother Maple) that stands in the heart of our woods. 

Furthermore, I believe that one of the things that make LCS truly unique is the people, so I made a point to add as many figures interacting with each other as seemed natural. People support each other, lending a hand, and lifting each other up as they continue to strive for success is something I admire about our community.

To have my work in the LCS permanent display is mind-blowing! It's a huge personal accomplishment and an incredible honour to be presented with this opportunity. I've always enjoyed being in the theatre lobby because of all the art on display and to know that my work will one day stand side by side in that gallery is such an honour.