Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Artists Philip Pearlstein and Tom Otterness, Writer Thane Rosenbaum and Actors Paul

NEW YORK, NY, May 27 (MARKET WIRE) --
Author and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel will address young artists and
writers from across the country at the 86th annual Scholastic Art &
Writing Awards ceremony to be held at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, June
4th. Mr. Wiesel will also present novelist and Awards alumnus Thane
Rosenbaum with an "Alumni Achievement Award." Sculptor Tom Otterness will
receive his "Alumni Achievement Award" from fellow alum and artist Philip
Pearlstein.

The national program offers early recognition to creative teenagers and
scholarships for graduating high school seniors. This year more than 500
Award winners will travel to New York City to have their achievements
celebrated by family, industry leaders, educators and patrons, along with
actors Paul Giamatti, Lili Taylor and Jesse Eisenberg who will read
selected works by Award recipients. Poet and spoken word champion Patricia
Smith will also perform.

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that
presents The Awards, will also offer national recipients special workshops
in New York City, including "A Conversation with Zac Posen" who won a
Scholastic Art & Writing Award in high school; "The Art of Revision" with
author Rick Moody; and "Art for Social Change" at the Action Center to End
World Hunger. Some recipients will meet with Philip Pearlstein and Tom
Otterness in their art studios. Other cultural and career seminars will be
presented at professional institutions, such as Parsons PETLab, The New
York Public Library, Atlantic Theater Company and The New Yorker, Rolling
Stone and People magazines.

Visitors can enjoy the Award-winning artwork and writing at two New York
City galleries: the World Monuments Fund Gallery (June 5-24) and the
Arnold & Sheila Aronson Gallery at Parsons (June 5-22). An audio tour of
the young artists discussing their work will be available to exhibition
visitors. The public is also invited to Bryant Park on June 5th at 12:00
noon to hear the young writers read their Award-winning work.

Since Scholastic founded the program in 1923, The Awards have recognized
such distinguished past recipients as Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, Truman
Capote, Robert Redford, Sue Miller, Robert Indiana, John Lithgow, Joyce
Carol Oates, Bernard Malamud, Sylvia Plath, Sherley Anne Williams and Kay
WalkingStick, who all received awards when they were in high school.

Each year, the Alliance receives tens of thousands of works of art and
writing, submitted through regional affiliate programs across the nation
for consideration in 25 categories of art and writing. The submissions are
evaluated locally and nationally by a panel of jurors comprised of
renowned artists, authors, educators and arts professionals. This year,
jurors included Paul Giamatti, Rick Moody, Francine Prose and musician
and Tony Award-winner Stew.

Visit the online press kit for more information about The Scholastic Art
& Writing Awards and The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

For tickets to the Gala Benefit and National Student Art Exhibition
Preview on Wednesday, June 3rd and the Carnegie Hall Awards Ceremony on
Thursday, June 4th go to www.artandwriting.org or call 212.343.7717.

Contacts:
Jennifer Boggs
Scholastic
212.343.6619
jboggs@scholastic.com

Cathy Lasiewicz
Scholastic
212.343.6570
clasiewicz@scholastic.com

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