LOCAL SCENE

Local Students Awarded In National Art And Writing Competition

Four students from Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools were among the recipients to be honored as 2023 National Scholastic Art & Writing Award Winners.

With more than 400,000 teen entries from across the United States and Canada, this competition is hailed as the country’s longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 7-12 in categories including architecture, painting, flash fiction, poetry, printmaking, science fiction and fantasy, and more.

The recipients are:

• Samika Agarwal, Grade 12, Saratoga High School, Title: “A Moment in Time,” Gold Medal and American Visions Medal

• Maithreyi Bharathi, Grade 11, Saratoga High School, Title, “peaches in july,” Gold Medal

• Michelle Ho, Grade 10, Saratoga High School, Title: “I create myself,” Gold Medal

• Ashir Rao, Grade 11, Los Gatos High School, Title: “New APs Announced!”, American Voices Medal

These national winners will be invited to participate in the Awards Ceremony, as well as inclusion in the National Exhibition and Scholastic Awards Traveling Exhibition, the annual anthology of award-winning teen writing, and the annual catalog of award-winning teen art.

In addition, Agarwal was awarded the American Visions Medal for her photographic piece, “A Moment in Time,” and Rao was awarded the American Voices Medal for his written work, “New APs Announced!”.

Both medals are only given to one nominee from each of the competition’s regions.

Also, several Los Gatos and Saratoga High School students were Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention regional winners, chosen from more than 4,800 submissions from the six-county Bay Area Region. The regional competition award recipients were announced by the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and presented by the nonprofit organization, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were founded in 1923.

Walking Tour App Developer To Speak At Library

Alan Feinberg, developer of the free mobile app “Discover LOST Gatos,” will speak on May 3, upstairs in the Los Gatos Library starting at 5pm.

His app offers three different self-guided walking tours of downtown, highlighting the people, places and events that have shaped Los Gatos over the past 200 years.

An electrical engineer with a master’s degree in business, Feinberg relocated here 33 years ago from Concord, Mass., to work in the semiconductor software industry. He and his wife, Joan, fell in love with Los Gatos, especially its downtown, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

He became interested in the history of his adopted hometown and saw a need for a guide to its iconic buildings and the stories behind them, something similar to Boston’s self-guided “Freedom Trail“ walk. Not only would this benefit tourists, but it would also give residents a new look at their town.

“We need to build interest in our heritage before it’s lost or bulldozed. We need to treasure what’s left,” Feinberg said.

Instead of just a paper map and list of historic sites, Feinberg decided to develop a walking tour that offers an immersive Los Gatos history experience. So, in 2015, he joined with Peggy Conaway Bergtold, who wrote the historical content, and former mayor Sandy Decker to launch the app.

“It was a year-long labor of love and a gift to the community,” he said.

The app is available at the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Mix Of Independent Artists Featured At Saratoga Fine Arts Show

More than 100 artists will descend on Saratoga May 6-7 for the Rotary Club of Saratoga’s annual Fine Arts Show.

The event is free to the public and serves as the largest fundraiser for the Saratoga Rotary Foundation, which supports grants to local non-profit organizations and the club's youth and community service programs.

According to event co-chair Carol Woodard, the timing of the Fine Arts Show is perfect because it happens right before major holidays such as Mother’s Day and graduation.

“Our show has such a wide variety of art, décor, textiles, jewelry and much more,” Woodard said. “It’s a great way for people to shop, enjoy a fun day out and support the community at the same time.”

In addition to the abundance of art, there will also be live music, a classic car show, food, beer and wine, artist workshops, and a Kid’s Corner with activities for kids of all ages.

This year, the show will also feature a lithium battery recycling program through Redwood Materials and ESRAG. Guests can check the list of devices accepted on the website and drop them off to be recycled at the event.

The Fine Arts Show has been in existence since 1957 and is the largest art event in the city of Saratoga.

The show will be held at West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Ave., from 10am to 5pm.

➝ saratogarotaryartshow.org