Honorable mention Leanne Hamilton with Mayor Daniel Bianchi, and Berkshire Jazz President Edward Bride.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three high school students were honored by the mayor on Tuesday for winning the annual Berkshire Jazz art contest.

 

Taylor Turner, a senior at Pittsfield High School, Max Whalen, a PHS freshman, and Anita Curtin, a junior at St. Joseph's High School, were chosen as the winners. The work of one of those three winners will be the symbol of the annual Pittsfield City Jazz Festival in October.

 

The winners were chosen by judges Diane Firtell, Scott Taylor, and Julio Granda, who chose a winner for each of three genres — representational art, abstract art, and graphic design. They also awarded three "judges choice" awards and five honorable mentions. 

 

The judge's choice awards were given to Shane McMahon, a PHS sophomore, Alicia Williamson, a PHS junior, and Andrew LaPatin, also a PHS junior.

 

The honorable mentions were given to two PHS juniors, Tegan Lyon and Kaylin Barcus, and Ethan Kittles, a PHS senior, Leslie Tayi, a Taconic High School junior, and Leanne Hamilton, a St. Joe junior.

 

More than 100 students from Pittsfield HIgh, Taconic, St. Joe and Miss Hall's entered the seventh annual contest. The contest is intended to be a cross-genre creative activity coupling painting with music. 

 

PHS art teachers Colleen Quinn, Lisa Ostellino, and Barbara Patton; Taconic teachers Marybeth Eldridge and Mike Boroniec; St. Joseph's teacher Dale Zola; and Miss Halls teachers Ellie Kreischer and Sophia Lee were all participated in the contest. 

 

Project coordinator is Art Niedeck, a jazz musician and music educator, and co-chairman of the Education Committee of Berkshires Jazz, Inc., which is responsible for planning the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival and other events throughout the year.

 

Berkshire Jazz Inc. is chartered to promote jazz education throughout Berkshire County. The non-profit is supported by ticket sales from the festival, as well as donations from sponsors, which this year include Greylock Federal Credit Union the Feigenbaum Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, North Coast Brewing Company, Cultural Pittsfield, and jazz education pioneer Jamey Aebersold.