As a child, Syosset High School senior Lance Phung almost quit taking art lessons because he was frustrated with coloring.
Phung persevered with the support of his mother and Sally Feng, the founder of the Metropolitan Association of Fine Arts in Syosset.
On Sunday, March 9, Phung was awarded the first $1,500 Sally Studio Excellence Scholarship Award at the Metropolitan Association of Fine Arts’ fifth annual award ceremony at the Jericho Public Library.
He was joined by Jericho High School senior Amy Chen, who started with the studio after immigrating from China four years ago. She earned the association’s $500 Community Ambassador Award.
Feng, who has lived in the Syosset area for 20 years, said she hopes to continue awarding scholarships to high school seniors in the future.
“I just want to give back to the community,” Feng said.
Chosen as the first award recipient, Phung has been a student at the studio since he was eight years old, and he is one of Feng’s earliest students, she said.
Feng said she encouraged him to stay in the program and taught him black-and-white pen techniques until he was ready to incorporate color back into his artwork.
Despite his frustrations, Feng said, Phung’s mother told her that art is his only hobby throughout elementary, middle and high school.
“It means a lot to me because I know he struggled in the beginning,” she said.
Feng said Phung has gone on to win many other art competitions, including the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Competition and Congressional Art Competition.
Chen, who won the MAFA Community Ambassador Award, had already taken art classes in China, Feng said.
She said Chen started at her studio almost immediately after moving to the United States. Since she joined, Feng said Chen has found a “home” at the studio.
“She has very, very strong community,” she said. Feng said she has grown in leadership in the past four years and deserves the title of community ambassador.
In addition to the scholarship awards, the Metropolitan Association of Fine Arts honored young artists from its fifth-annual juried online exhibition at the Jericho Public Library. Ron Becker, who has worked with the group on its past four exhibitions, judged the exhibition.
Feng said she is happy to contribute the scholarships to young artists to help support them throughout their artistic education.
