Stone Ridge alum receives Young Artist award in Trawick Prize competition

Shafer currently lives in Washington, D.C., and travels the country to photograph airports. To date she has photographed more than 50 airports in 12 states.

Her subjects have included historic airports such as Wendover Airfield in Utah; small airports such as Half Moon Bay, Calif.; graveyards, such as Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona; and she has received complete access to Washington-Dulles.

The Young Artist award honors an artist born after April 10, 1977, with a $1,000 prize.

The other winners in the Trawick Prize are:

*Jo Smail of Baltimore, ‘‘Best in Show,” $10,000;

*Nicholas Wisniewski of Baltimore, second place, $2,000;

*Bruce Wilhelm of Richmond, Va., third place $1,000.

Work by all 11 finalists is on display through Sept. 28 at Creative Partners Gallery, 4600 East West Highway, Bethesda.

Congratulations!

*Karen Louise Kupelian of North Bethesda was awarded the degree of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) on Aug. 25 at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va.

She is a 2000 graduate of Walter Johnson High School and a 2004 graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. She has accepted a position at a private practice in Charlottesville, Va.

*Brenna Mahoney of North Bethesda was named the 2007 North American Rolex Scholar of the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society. The scholarship allows young SCUBA divers to travel for one year and be exposed to various underwater careers.

Since beginning the program in April, Mahoney has completed numerous dives in the United States and abroad, including the Red Sea, and has gained certifications as a technical and professional diver.

She is a 2005 graduate of Cornell University and a 2001 graduate of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.

*Benjamin H. Weinstein of Chevy Chase will participate this weekend in the Acceptance Day ceremonies at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.

The event marks the official acceptance of the freshman, or plebe, class into the ranks of the Academy’s Regiment of Midshipmen.

Weinstein, a June graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, is the son of Jerry and Chris Weinstein of Chevy Chase.

*Kathy Sapp recently graduated with her master’s degree in social work from Smith College School for Social Work.

A 1997 graduate of Walt Whitman High School and 2001 graduate of The Ohio State University, she is the daughter of Jim and Susan Manley of Bethesda.

In addition to her coursework at Smith College, Kathy used her 10 years of experience working on the Bannockburn Spring Show to write, act and direct the three-hour graduate student revue.

Quilts on display

The Bethesda Quilters will present its semi-annual quilt show from 1-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Holy Redeemer School Herb Young Auditorium, 9715 Summit Ave., Kensington.

There will be approximately 150 quilts on exhibit, a boutique and white elephant sale and a raffle quilt.

For more information call Eleanor Balaban at 301-229-7990.

A writing retreat

Bethesda writer Paula Whyman was recently awarded a fellowship by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, located near Sweet Briar College in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural Virginia.

Whyman will be among the approximately 20 fellows focusing on their own creative projects at this working retreat for visual artists, writers and composers.

A typical residency ranges from two weeks to two months. The distraction-free atmosphere, as well as the energy that results from having some 20 visual artists, writers and composers gathered in one place, enables artists to be highly productive.

Whyman plans to use her time there to revise a novel she is working on.

Local scenes on exhibit

Paintings of local scenes from the C&O Canal, Potomac River and the Blue Ridge area by Bethesda artist Jill Cantrill will be on display through Sept. 29 at Orchard Gallery, 7919 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda.

There will be an artist reception from 4-7 p.m. Saturday at the gallery.

For more information, call 240-497-1912 or visit www.orchardartgallery.com.

This column is for you. Share your good news! Feel free to send press releases and news tips. Contact Stephanie Siegel via e-mail at ssiegel@gazette.net, phone at 301-280-3006, fax at 301-670-7183, or snail mail at 1200 Quince Orchard Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878.