Anoka High School senior Katelyn Karrow wins Art Educators of Minnesota Spotlight essay contest
(11/09/18) Katelyn Karrow acknowledges that an essay probably isn’t the first thing a person thinks about when they hear she’s won a state art award.
“They didn’t want my art,” the Anoka High School (AHS) senior joked. “But it makes sense — that’s not what the essay was about.”
Indeed. The essay, she said, asked her to discuss how the visual arts have impacted her as a person. And for Karrow, the impact of art in school, and specifically an art teacher, have been life-changing.
She wrote about how she was nervous about her skills as an artist when she first began high school at AHS, but she found confidence in herself and her art thanks to teacher Kevan Nitzberg. In fact, his mentorship has been so impactful, it’s inspired her, she said.
“I would say that (Nitzberg) is like a friend as a teacher,” she said. “He’s really supported me during my time in high school, and now, as a senior, I want to use that newfound confidence I have in myself and give it to other students by being an art teacher, too — he’s inspired me.”
The story is a pretty good essay topic, and Karrow was recognized Nov. 3 during the Art Educators of Minnesota (AEM) state conference for winning the group’s 2018-19 Spotlight on the Arts Award essay writing contest with her submission.
A modest Nitzberg said Karrow was very deserving of the recognition.
“I am naturally very pleased that she wants to follow that career path as I think she would make an excellent art instructor in addition to being an outstanding artist,” he said. “It is very gratifying to help students be able to reach their potential and realize the skill sets that they have and watch them build those skills during the time I have with them.”
Interestingly, in order to enter the AEM essay contest, students need to be nominated by an art teacher. “Katelyn is a very well spoken and articulate young woman who is beginning to find a distinct direction to follow as she moves away from high school and on to college,” Nitzberg said. “I was convinced that she would be an excellent prospect to receive this honor.”
Karrow said she’s always loved art, but it really clicked for her as a fourth-grader at Crooked Lake Elementary School when she began drawing anime characters. “That’s where my passion for art really blossomed,” she said.
Her love for art continued to grow as a student at Anoka Middle School for the Arts, she said, with her teachers often telling her how wonderful her art was. Then in seventh or eighth grade — Karrow can’t recall which — she won the school’s yearbook cover design contest. “Talk about a confidence booster,” she said with a smile.
Now, as a senior, she’s dabbled in just about all the kinds of art there is, she joked. She likes to draw and enjoys working with clay, but acrylic painting is her true love. “It allows you to layer and give texture to your art — I love it,” she said.
(Photo: A painting done by Anoka High School senior Katelyn Karrow, which later this year will be on display at the Minnesota State Capitol and then the National Art Education Association Conference in Boston.)
Karrow also called herself lucky. All the while, in addition to encouraging and inspiring teachers, Karrow said she’s also had supportive parents. “They love my art,” she said. “They tell me to follow my dreams.”
And as she stood on the stage during the AEM conference to receive her essay award, her parents were beaming. “My mom’s a crier,” Karrow joked. “So my mom’s crying and my dad is smiling and they’re so proud. They were really happy for me.”
As for herself, Karrow said she was shocked she won the essay contest. “I mean, I wrote the essay with passion, but I was still shocked,” she said.
While she doesn’t have her postsecondary plans totally decided on, she has a couple of schools in mind where she can study to become an art teacher while also pursuing her passion as an artist.
As for prizes, beyond the title and a plaque, in March, Karrow will have artwork on display as part of the annual Youth Art Month celebration at the State Capitol where she will be reading her essay once again and receiving a $200 gift certificate from Triarco Arts and Crafts. In addition, one of her pieces will be viewed at the National Art Education Association Conference in Boston this year.
“It’s all kind of surreal,” she said. “But I’m proud.”