Pulaski Academy & Central School District

A student from the Pulaski school district recently gained national recognition when she was voted National Artist of the Week on Artsonia, an online art portfolio tool.

Addison McCullough is a senior at Pulaski High School and a very talented artist, says her teacher, Stacey Walton.

“We usually have one, maybe two students get randomly selected for this contest during the entire year,” said Walton. “Some years we have none at all. When I saw Addison's piece get selected, I knew we had to try to go for it, despite the fact the smaller schools rarely win because of the majority vote aspect of it. Addison is an extremely talented artist who is self-motivated. She has won multiple awards at both the county and regional level. Time and again, she has gone the extra mile to improve her work and skills. I can’t think of any student more deserving of this award.”

The Artsonia Artist of the Week award is run by Artsonia, which is a digital tool for art teachers where students can upload their work, create a digital portfolio, and connect with parents. Artsonia chooses 10 artworks each week in each grade category to become a finalist for Artist of the Week. These artworks come from all across the country. From there, it becomes a popularity vote where whoever gets the most votes wins.

The Pulaski community came together to cast over 1,100 votes. Second place had 743.

“I was in awe at the community’s response,” said Walton. “Our entire community was rallying around Addison to win. It was such a cool feeling to watch this play out. On top of that, my own friends and family also shared my post, including the wife of my former band director. She herself is a Pulaski alumna and began rallying not only Pulaski friends, but also Newfane friends and alumni to vote for Addison.”

Addison will be awarded a plaque and gift certificate to Blick Art Supplies, and the Pulaski School District will also get a gift certificate to Blick.