Brent Emerick Baltimore, Maryland Award of Excellence $2,000 Age 18

"The positive mind is very hard to keep in a world where I do not learn like everyone else. Being an outsider is not easy but would be much harder if art was not a major part of my life."

Brent Emerick was encouraged to practice art at an early age. Through testing and classroom challenges, he discovered that he had short-term memory loss, dyslexia, and processing difficulties. His teachers realized that art could be an open door, and encouraged him to practice. For Emerick, artwork is seen as an equal to academic achievement. "When my artwork was recognized, I realized that I had finally accomplished something important in my life." He uses charcoal and pencil to illustrate his life and experiences. Emerick conveys, "My paintings and drawings are my journals and essays." The piece Twins is a study of his life in separate but equal parts. "I have shifted gears in that I have come to the realization that my dream of using my artistic abilities is becoming a reality since I have been accepted into college."

Influential Art Teachers/Professors:
Ms. B Zienkiewiz, Patapasco High School and Center for the Arts, Maryland