ART Scholarship for High School Seniors
MaryLea Harris presenting her annual scholarship at the Scholastic Art Awards Ceremony at Central Oregon Community College.
MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art
I believe in investing in our future and giving as I go. I give a portion of my proceeds from the sale of my art work every year to the MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art fund. This allows me to present a $2500 scholarship each year to a graduating, female student from Jefferson, Deschutes, or Crook county school systems. It is a scholarship for a student interested in pursuing a career in the field of visual arts with a demonstrated interest in the field of Visual Art or pursuing a degree in Museum Arts, Art Education, or Graphic Design. This scholarship has traditionally been given in conjunction with the Central Oregon Scholastic Art Awards. This is an inclusive LGBTQ scholarship opportunity.
Application Instructions for the MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art
The MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art was established in 2018 to support women pursuing a career in the visual arts. The MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art awards one-year scholarships of $2,500 to outstanding female students who are members of the June graduating class from Deschutes, Crook, or Jefferson County Schools, have demonstrated a genuine interest in the field of visual arts, and plan a career in visual arts or a related professions such as graphic design, illustration, arts education, or museum education.
Bend, Oregon artist, MaryLea Harris founded this scholarship to support other women as they pursue their own dreams. Each scholarship is funded from a percentage of her sales. As a former art major and art educator, she is passionate about giving to others and supporting other women artists. This is an inclusive LGBTQ scholarship opportunity.
How to Apply:
1. High School Senior female students from Deschutes, Crook or Jefferson County schools who wish to study art at a college or university are eligible.
2. Applicants will submit by email their answers to the Art Scholarship Application Questions below. Please include a portfolio of 5-10 work samples (which can include works-in-progress). All types of artworks are acceptable. If you have video samples, you would like to share, you may include 1-2 excerpts of no more than one minute in length each. Your portfolio should be formatted as a google drive so you can share the link in the application. Please ensure that the share settings allow me to access the folder and its contents.
* Applicants, please email your statement to MaryLea Harris at studiomaryleaharrisart@gmail.com *
Deadline for submissions: March 22, of the current school year
3. MaryLea Harris will view students work and read student art statements to choose the recipient of this award. After reviewing all the Portfolios and Applications, each applicant will be contacted via the email address they used to apply, and the winner will be notified mid-March by MaryLea Harris.
MaryLea Harris will work with the college registrar and finance office of the school the recipient is attending to submit the $2500 scholarship credited to that student’s account for the fall semester of the following school year.
MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art Application Questions:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Where do you attend high school?
3. What activities are you involved in?
4. Tell me about your art.
5. Who are your role models?
6. Tell me about a personal achievement that makes you proud.
7. What are your plans for next year?
8. What are your long term and short-term goals for your career after college?
9. Why do you deserve this scholarship?
10. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Gallery of Past Scholarship Recipients
McKaylie Capps, 2019 recipient of the $2500 MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art. Check out her work below and @Mission_ArtDesign on Instagram or MissionArtDesignCo on Etsy.
Natalie Lawton, 2021 recipient of the $2500 MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art. Check out her work below and @nat.lawton on Instagram or Sage and Clementine Co. on Etsy.
Eliana Bowers from Summit High School in Bend is a 2023 Recipient of the MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in the Arts. She is a talented Rugby player, writer, has her own clothing line called ANi. Check out some of her designs below.
Aphena Sov from Summit HS in Bend, was a $500 2023 Recipient of the MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art. She’s a talented musician, graphic design artist and animator. Check out some of her work below! She will be attending PNCA to study animation in the fall.
Morgan Murray 2020 recipient of the $2500 MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art. Check out Morgan’s work below and on Instagram @hyper_sapphic
Bailey Pettie, 2023 recipient of the $2500 MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art. Bailey is a member of the Chickasaw Tribe and is planning to study art at PNCA in the fall. Check out her work below.
Olivia Kennedy from Sisters High School is a 2023 Recipient of a $500 MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art. She will be studying Photography in the fall. Check out some of her beautiful work below.
Bella Amecuza from REALMS High School was the $2500 2024 Recipient of the MaryLea Harris Scholarship for Women in Art! She is anillustrator interested in studying Art, Technology , Visual Developement, and/or Animation. Her goal is to blend modern technology and art to tell impactful stories that spread awareness and foster connections. Check out some of her work below!
