It was announced this month that senior Shealeigh Crombie has received an Honorable Mention award in the prestigious 2022 YoungArts National Competition. Her photographic portfolio was distinguished from thousands of entries from high school students across the country.
Each year the entries in the YoungArts Competition are judged by discipline-specific artists, and winners are selected for their high level of artistic achievement. Crombie’s Honorable Mention award “recognizes work that demonstrates exceptional technique; a strong sense of artistry; and a depth of thinking/performance that exceeds the level of peers at this career stage,” according to YoungArts officials.
To achieve her distinctive artistic style, Crombie employs a variety of techniques. Starting with original images, her paper or plastic prints would be layered and then distorted using a combination of clear plastic sheets, handmade shadows, and CitraSolv to transfer ink from one image to another. In some cases she made use of a lightbox to accentuate specific highlights. “Through this body of work I explored the ways in which chaos, both on the individual and collective level, is what makes our world so beautiful.”
"My portfolio was inspired by my observation that individuals are wonderfully multifaceted, and that our perceptions of individuals can’t be defined by simply one image or idea," she explained. "I began to incorporate different levels of distortion and reflection that added dimension to my portraits while also creating a sense of somewhat coordinated visual chaos. In doing so, I also attempted to highlight the beautiful synergy that can arise from chaos instead of the overwhelmingly negative connotation that the idea of chaos is often given."
Crombie's portfolio is incredibly personal: the subjects of her photos were often people with whom she was particularly close. More than that, she drew inspiration and developed ideas from her teachers and classmates along the way.
She stated, "I feel honored and grateful to receive this recognition, but really this is a testament to the wonderfully talented individuals and teachers who have allowed me to create this portfolio. The vast majority of the processes I incorporated were inspired by walking around and seeing what my peers were doing, as well as talking through how they were using different strategies to experiment with their own work."
Her visual arts teachers, Lisa Waldstein and Jeffrey Baykal-Rollins, expressed their excitement over Crombie's achievement.
"Lisa and I are absolutely thrilled," Baykal-Rollins said. "YoungArts has for decades been the single most prestigious competition in the United States for young artists, writers, dancers, actors, and musicians. No one deserves this more than Shealeigh."
Crombie reciprocated: "This also wouldn’t be possible without the unwavering support and resources that my art teachers Mr. Baykal-Rollins and Ms. Waldstein have provided for me."
YoungArts awards are given in three categories: Finalist, Honorable Mention and Merit. l winners receive a monetary award and a medallion, along with “a lifetime of creative and professional support, and access to YoungArts Post—a private, online portal for YoungArts artists to connect, share their work and discover new opportunities,” the achievement letter states. Previous winners include Daniel Arsham, Terence Blanchard, Camille A. Brown, Timothée Chalamet, Viola Davis, Amanda Gorman, Judith Hill, Jennifer Koh, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Rannells, Desmond Richardson and Hunter Schafer.
In addition to her success as an artist, Crombie was also captain of the GFA girls soccer team. This fall she received All State honors and was named to the FAA First Team. She was also recognized as a 2022 National Merit Scholarship Commended Student. To read more about her portfolio and her process, click here.