Standout Student: Perpich Arts Student Awarded $20,000 Scholarship
For a student of the arts, Perpich is a place of possibility.
Senior Grace Lampi found inspiration in illustration. She said nature and emotion powers her art.
“They are things that, when I look at my life, I feel them in my life, too,” Grace said. “And I feel them in my relationships.”
Grace Lampi’s self-portrait was a part of her portfolio.
Art is more than a passion for Grace. You can see that in the pieces she creates. One she showed us was a self-portrait, called ‘A Little Bit of Empathy.’
“I wrote it better in my artist statement, but I see everything through a lens of art, and I see it with my mind and my heart,” Grace explained. “So, I put the heart where my eyes go because I see everything with my heart.”
Grace’s goal is to be a working artist.
“I want to be able to create and inspire others to create. I want to be me,” Grace said.
Making Futures Possible
For many students, barriers stand in the way of art school. One of those for Grace was finances. That stress was alleviated a bit when she received a $20,000 Gary Fink Scholarship.
According to a release from Perpich, the scholarship is awarded to a senior visual arts student who plans to major in the arts. It is based on both need and merit and is supplied by the Fink Family Foundation.
Gary Fink was a retired insurance executive passionate about art and philanthropy. The release said he would have believed in the mission of Perpich.
Perpich Principal Rebecca Bullen said the award is well-deserved.
“It’s also someone investing in one of our students, someone saying ‘your future goals, the work that you’re creating and your drive to be successful is something we believe in.’ So it’s financial, but its also a boost to who she is as a young artist in the world,” Bullen said.
Grace hugs another student in reaction to her scholarship win.
Grace, alongside other interested applicants, applied and presented to a review panel. School staff served on the panel. The Fink family made the final decision.
“I can see her entering into college and taking every opportunity that she has to be successful, to learn, to grow. I think others that work with her will be impacted by the light and the success that she brings to the environment,” Bullen said.
The $20,000 will help pay for Grace’s tuition at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. For her, that’s life-changing money as she steps into the future.
“More than anything, I’m glad that the burden of the finances isn’t all on me, and isn’t all on my family,” Grace said.
Grace plans to major in illustration. You can view her portfolio online.
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