Parrott student has exhibits shown at NCMA

Annastasia Hnatov, a sophomore at Parrott Academy, with calendar featuring her award- winning ebony pencil drawing. Submitted Photo.

On Sept. 8, Parrott Academy sophomore Annastasia Hnatov was honored at the N.C. Museum of Art reception for winners of this year’s Teens, Inspired  art competition.

“This is a tremendous first for our school.  We’ve never had a student’s work at the state museum before,” said APA art teacher Jana Miller.

Last spring, Hnatov was encouraged by Miller to enter the NCMA contest. Students across the state were  challenged to study works of art in the NCMA collection that explore key concepts, then develop the theme of “home” by creating their own responses to those works. Judges selected 34 entries for the exhibit, which ran until January.

Hnatov’s winning painting is a study of soft, comfortable blankets piled up in her bedroom. Influenced by one of the museum’s ocean paintings, she worked in a range of blue tones.  When the expected announcement date passed without Hnatov receiving any notification, she assumed her piece hadn’t won, but was surprised and delighted to hear a day later that it had. 

“This is a wonderful opportunity to have my art showcased in a major museum where people from all over can view it,” Hnatov said. 

Hnatov’s study of blankets is currently in the NC Museum of Art’s Teens, Inspired exhibition. Submitted Photo.

Hnatov also created an ebony pencil drawing that won the Southern Teachers Agency Annual Student Art Contest. It is one of 12 works featured in the agency’s nationally distributed calendar for this year. 

“Annastasia doesn’t just do art in the classroom,” Miller said. “She has the true eye of an artist — always observing, thinking, and making.”