Jersey City Arts High School teen honored at Carnegie Hall event.

Marli Horwitz/The Jersey Journal 

 

A Jersey City teen has been honored for creating art that he loves, an endeavor he says consumes 90 percent of his life. 

Jersey City Arts High School senior Christian Caraballo was awarded the Portfolio Gold Award for his artwork at the 2013 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, which was held at Carnegie Hall on May 31.

The awards were presented by actress and arts advocate Sarah Jessica Parker, fashion designer Zac Posen, and entertainer Usher.

Caraballo is no stranger to the world of art. "I've been drawing and dealing with art since I was 5," he told The Jersey Journal. "And when I'm not painting, I'm usually composing lyrics and rapping." The multi-talented youth performs under the name "Kid Kold."

His winning portfolio was comprised of 12 different works, including acrylic paint, mixed media, digital media, and charcoal.

His signature artwork, "Stop Simplicity," is a message to the viewer to take a moment to look around, Caraballo said.

"It's just a regular stop sign, but it's tagged and marked, and most people don't see that at first glance," he said. "As an artist, I know I want what I have to say to be noticed. A lot of artists feel the same way."

One marking viewers can pick out reads "TYATW."

"It's kind of my brand," Caraballo said. "It stands for 'tainted youth among the world,' basically pointing out all the influences, good and bad, on youth in urban areas."

Having recently received an honorable mention in a contest through the Cleveland Institute of Art, Caraballo said the award came with a "shock beyond belief."

Caraballo is one of only 15 students in the nation to receive the Portfolio Gold Award, the highest possible achievement, which comes with a $10,000 scholarship. The scholarship will be put towards Caraballo's education next year at Parson's New School in Manhattan, where he'll be majoring in communication design.

"It was so exciting; I got to be on stage in my first visit to Carnegie Hall," Caraballo said of the ceremony. "The speeches given my Sarah Jessica Parker, Usher, and Zac Posen left me motivated to continue working on my art."

Celebrating 90 years this year, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is "the nation's longest-running, most prestigious educational initiative supporting student achievement in the visual and literary arts."

The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the awards, has 116 affiliates nation-wide that serve as the first adjudicators of student work.

Pieces are then judged nationally by a panel of renowned professionals in the arts. Works are based on originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal vision or voice.

"There's nothing like the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards," said Virginia McEnerey, Executive Director of The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. "230,000 submissions. An unbelievable list of alums. There's really just nothing like it."

McEnerey said the personal vision or voice was exactly what adjudicators saw in Caraballo's work. "His work was unique," she said. "The judges see a lot of art. For them to feel like they hadn't seen anything like Christian's work is huge."

McEnerey said the founder of The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers had a vision to give young artists and writers the recognition athletes receive, and the Awards does just that.

The Montclair Art Museum serves as the affiliate sponsor to the awards from New Jersey.

Teenagers in grades 7-12 are eligible to submit work in 28 different categories, and can be from private, public, or home schools, and American schools abroad.

Caraballo now has his place among distinguished alumni of the award, including artist Andy Warhol, writer Sylvia Plath, actor Robert Redford, filmmaker Ken Burns, and many more.