Pittsburgh Job Corps Students Earn Top Fine Arts Honors

For Immediate Release

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Public Affairs July 22, 2010

Philadelphia, Pa. Contact: Joanna Hawkins

Release Number: 10-1037-PHI (jc 10-157)

Phone: 215-861-5101

Pittsburgh Job Corps Center students earn top honors at annual Fine Arts regional competition in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – Four fine arts students from the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., earned top honors in various categories at the 2010 Job Corps Fine Arts regional competition being held July 7-30 at Eastern University’s Falls Center in East Falls, Pa.

Sarah Belles won first place in the watercolor category, third in the acrylic/oil category, and second in the pastel and mixed media categories. Amber Miller won first place in the jewelry/textiles category; Brian Trezevant won first in the photography category; and Erik Hubstenberger won second in the creative writing category.

Sixty students from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia submitted a variety of materials in the artistic, design, and literary categories; including acrylic/oil, watercolor, pencil/ink/charcoal, pastel, mixed media, graphic design/printmaking, jewelry/textiles, sculpture, pottery, photography and creative writing. The top four student entries in each category were selected, with first-, second- and third-place entries winning cash prizes.

“The competition serves as a shining example of the Job Corps program’s success with nurturing the artistic talents of these gifted students,” said Dr. Francis Cole, Job Corps regional director in Philadelphia. “Our students consistently display amazing creative ability, as evidenced by the number of inquiries we receive each year from the general public about purchasing their artwork.”

The Fine Arts regional competition is held each year to provide Job Corps students with an outlet for their artistic talents and to encourage Job Corps centers and students to celebrate the arts.

Job Corps, a part of the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration, is the nation’s largest career technical training and education program for students ages 16 through 24. It provides training and support services to more than 100,000 students each year at 123 centers in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information about Job Corps, call 800-733-JOBS (5627) or visit http://www.jobcorps.gov.

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