Scholarship

The Siskiyou Artists Association is pleased to offer a scholarship every Spring to a promising student artist in Siskiyou County. The scholarship is $1000 and includes a three year Siskiyou Artists Association membership. The scholarship winner’s artwork is featured in the SAA Fall membership show. The scholarships, awarded annually, are available to graduating Siskiyou County high school seniors or students enrolled at College of the Siskiyous. If you know of an eligible individual who is planning to continue their art education, please encourage them to apply. Download the 2024 Scholarship Application with the link below.

Scholarship App 2024Download

Qualifications and Instructions

  • Applicant must plan to enroll in the Fall semester at an accredited college as an art major or minor.
  • Applicant must have a minimum of a 2.3 grade point average and provide a transcript.
  • Applicant must furnish at least one letter of recommendation from an art instructor or the equivalent.
  • Applicant will be required to meet with the Siskiyou Artist Association Scholarship Committee at a designated time and place to display a portfolio (see below) of his or her art projects.
  • The scholarship recipient must provide proof of enrollment for the Fall semester by the school registrar.
  • The scholarship recipient must show a sample of his or her art at the Siskiyou Artists Association Members’ Art Show. This year, the Members’ show will be held August 10th through October 12th at the Siskiyou Arts Museum (SAM) in Dunsmuir. Drop off date for artwork in the members show will be August 3rd, (times to be announced at a later date.)

The scholarship award will be presented at the reception for the annual Siskiyou Artists Association Art Show. The scholarship check must be cashed within six months.

Send completed application, letter of recommendation and a copy of your transcript either by email to siskiyouartists@gmail.com or by USPS to Siskiyou Artists Association, P. O. Box 1654, Mount Shasta, CA 96067

Your Portfolio

Students applying for Siskiyou Artists Association scholarship are asked to bring a portfolio that includes examples of your work. These can can include finished pieces, work in progress, and sketchbooks. If possible, the portfolio should provide a variety of works in different media and styles. If work is small and two-dimensional, we ask that you bring in the original whenever possible. If your work is large, three-dimensional, or otherwise difficult to carry, you can bring photographs instead. If you want to provide a digital version of your work, you should bring your own fully charged laptop, iPad, or tablet, as outlets and on-site laptops will not be provided.

Consider including:

  • 5 – 10 of your strongest original work.
  • If using printed photos to show your work, try printing them as large as you can, up to an 8 x 10.
  • Both finished artwork and working sketches
  • Work that shows a range of different skills within your preferred medium
  • Examples of work that shows strong observational drawing skills
  • A range of subject matter
  • Well-balanced compositions
  • Work that demonstrates creativity, originality and or experimentation
  • Logically ordered examples that show progression or your journey as an artist.
  • Transfer students should include works from their college level art classes.
  • A printout of your resume if you have one.

We understand that most of you have a limited amount of work as beginning artists. We do hope you have fun creating a portfolio that not only lets us see your ability and journey as an artist thus far, but also lets you be proud of what you have accomplished.

2025 Scholarship Winners:

Benjamin Aguirre Is a graduating senior from Mount Shasta High School. At the beginning of freshman year, he took a ceramics and media arts class, and that was the catalyst; he instantly connected with the power of art to communicate emotions and messages. Ben dabbles in other forms of art, such as charcoal, watercolor, and poetry, and is constantly inspired by both audible and visible art. He finds the most rewarding part of developing art skills is how it has matured him and enabled him to traditionally practice a craft.

Violet Kinkade, a recent graduate of Mount Shasta High School, will attend College of the Siskiyous. Born and raised in Mount Shasta, Violet has always been inspired to create art by her great grandmother, Anne Kinkade, a well-known and beloved local artist.

Violet focuses on art that she mostly gives away, including ceramic pieces, watercolor and gouache greeting cards. Violet believes that the best art is often created as gifts because its purpose is in connection, not possession. Her pieces carry her time, emotion and intention of love and care.

Raul Esquivel is an emerging artist in Siskiyou County. He moved from Los Angeles to Northern California in 2017 and he began to take art classes at College of the Siskiyous in the Spring of 2025. Raul really enjoys taking art classes, from Ceramics and photography to painting, he believes “there is a whole world to discover in the arts”. He is excited to share this opportunity and join so many artist from different backgrounds. He is currently gearing up for an even more exciting fall semester at COS.

Justyne Harbour, 28, is a talented artist born and raised in Mount Shasta, California. A proud recipient of the Siskiyou Artists Association Scholarship, Justyne is currently pursuing her passion for art as a student at College of the Siskiyous, where she maintains a 4.0 GPA

2023 Scholarship Award Winners:

Aryanna Johnson and Amanda Thomas

Selection has been made for recipients of Siskiyou Artists Association Scholarship! Scholarship Chairs, Howard Jones and David Shuteroff are happy to share the names of the 2023 Scholarship recipients. Committee members: Joyce Kyle, Scott Whiteman, David Schuteroff, and Howard Jones have selected two recipients for SAA awards this year from an impressively strong group of young artists. Aryanna Johnson will receive the $1,000 scholarship, and Amanda Thomas a $500 award. Both are planning to continue their Arts studies towards further qualifications and art-involved careers.

2022 Scholarship Award Winner – Savanah Miller

The winner of SAA’s 2022 scholarship is Savanah Miller! Savanah graduated from Etna High School and is attending Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. She intends to pursue a career in Art Gallery Curation or to teach Art in a classroom setting. Some of Savanah’s work is currently featured in our Fall member’s show in the Siskiyou Arts Museum.