The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation recently awarded $31,000 in scholarships to 17 area students, all of whom are pursuing higher education degrees in the visual arts. Two additional annual scholarships in the amounts of $1,500 each were awarded in 2020: Kristen Walter received a scholarship for the second year from the Pamela Mummy Foundation and Quinlon Merrin received a scholarship from the Sambataro Family.

All scholarship recipients are planning to return to colleges or universities in the fall, regardless of whether their classes are online or in person. “Given the situation with COVID-19, our scholarships were even more important this year to support students in an economy that struggles and where college tuition remains high,” said foundation member and scholarships co-chair Barbara Norgaard-Reid. “We are pleased and proud to be able to contribute to keeping the college experience possible for these dynamic, dedicated young artists.”

The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation awards scholarships to local students who are focused on a degree in an arts-related field and are taking art classes each semester or quarter. Students who receive scholarships are eligible to apply to renew each year they qualify; seven scholarships were awarded to renewal students for 2020. This year’s recipients will be attending the following colleges and universities: Cornish College of the Arts, University of Washington, Western Washington University, Loyola Marymount University, Edmonds College, NW College of Art and Design, Shoreline Community College, and Savannah College of Art and Design.

Students receiving scholarships in 2020 include:

To view more art from this year’s scholarship recipients, please visit the virtual exhibit here.

You can obtain additional information about the Arts Festival Foundation Scholarship and Grants Programs here. The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation gives more than $80,000 annually for art scholarships, educational grants to schools, and community grants to area non-profits. Additionally, it has given more than $1 million for public art installations and special projects throughout Edmonds. All profit from the annual Edmonds Arts Festival goes toward funding of the foundation’s programs.