The awards enable Blaine County students and educators to expand their education in the arts and humanities. The total amount awarded was $36,195, bringing the Museum’s overall scholarship awards since 1998 to $1,101,028. The Museum’s Arts and Humanities Scholarships are made possible by private donations and funds raised at SVMoA’s annual Wine Auction event.

Brady Giles, a senior at Sun Valley Community School, won the Gay V. Weake Scholarship, named in honor of a former executive director of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. This renewable scholarship of $2,000 per year is awarded to a 12th-grade student or full-time college student majoring in the arts or humanities. It is to be applied annually toward tuition at an accredited college or university. Giles will be pursuing illustration and graphic design in college.

The 2023 winners of the Hardy Kaslo Arts and Humanities scholarship are Wood River High School senior Lella Aicher and Carey School senior Anna Warthen. Each were awarded $1,000. An honorable mention award and $665 goes to Wood River High School’s Lucinda Frates.

Kay Hardy and Gregory Kaslo, longtime supporters of arts and education in the state of Idaho, provide this scholarship to high school seniors enrolled at Wood River High School, Silver Creek High School or Carey School who are pursuing advanced study, including a specific program, trade school, college, an internship or apprenticeship in the arts or humanities.

Cassius Klingenfuss, a junior at Sun Valley Community School, who will pursue advanced study in theater, received the Jack Thornton Memorial Scholarship for the Performing Arts. This $3,000 scholarship is awarded to an 11th- or 12th-grade student who has demonstrated his or her passion for the study of performing arts (music, theater, voice or dance).

Multiple high school arts and humanities scholarships of up to $2,500 were awarded to students currently enrolled in grades 9-12 to further their formal studies in the arts and humanities outside of regular school hours. The 2023 winners are Audrey Hernandez, Brady Giles, Caroline Horner, Cassius Klingenfuss, Christopher Perez Vivar, Clara Gvozdas, Cora Ward, Leo Star, Neve St. Onge, Sarah Leidecker, Lella Aicher, Bridgette Silva, Anna Warthen and Gracie Shiver.

Michele Preuss, Toni Boush and Amy Bingham were each awarded up to $1,200 for the Wendy and Alan Pesky Educator Scholarship, which is given to K-12 educators to support formal professional development in visual arts, performing arts or humanities.

“That Time I Knew I Belonged” is a writing competition sponsored by The Alliance of Idaho SVMoA. The organizations invited students to respond to the prompt “That time I knew I belonged...” Participants were encouraged to write autobiographical stories that directly address the prompt and reveal something about what makes a community work. This year’s recipients are Anay Gil-Salinas and Jacy Thomas. The annual competition is open to high school juniors and seniors who attend Blaine County public schools. Submissions could be written in English or Spanish.

Applications for SVMoA’s 2024 scholarship program will be available in December 2023. Detailed information about the program can be found in English and Spanish at svmoa.org/learn/scholarship-program. Please direct questions about the application process to Sophie Sawyers at ssawyers@svmoa.org or 208-726-9491 x120.