The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is honored to announce that McKenna Savage and Brianna Cano, eighth graders from Von E. Mauger Middle School, have been selected as two of seven students from Middlesex County to receive a Marisa Tufaro Memorial Art Scholarship.
The scholarships entitle McKenna and Brianna to attend a weeklong art camp this summer at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum, where Marisa previously honed her craft and where her artwork was once displayed at an exhibit.
The Zimmerli Summer Art Camp allows artists of various ability levels to interact and study with some of New Jersey’s best teaching artists. Wes Sherman, who holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and is a highly successful independent artist, heads the Summer Art Camp faculty.
Natural and incredibly gifted artists whose abilities shine through in their projects, McKenna and Brianna are students of Von E. Mauger Middle School art teacher Megan Pang.
McKenna and Brianna’s creative abilities include a willingness to experiment with new concepts and unfamiliar application techniques. Their class assignments are well planned, executed and exhibit their impressive artistic talents. McKenna and Brianna have been described as absolutely delightful, kind, and energetic young ladies.
“This scholarship is not just about my talent and love for art, but it is also a validation of my hard work and dedication,” McKenna said. “With this scholarship, I am inspired to keep pushing the boundaries of my creativity and to explore new mediums and techniques.”
McKenna thanked her parents for their support and encouragement to pursue her dreams, and expressed her sincere gratitude to former and current art teachers, who “have been a constant source of inspiration and guidance, teaching me technical skills and encouraging me to find my own voice and style.”
“I promise to use this scholarship to further my artistic education and to work towards becoming the best artist I can be. I hope to create art that not only touches the hearts of others, but also inspires positive change in the world.”
Brianna has demonstrated an ability to effortlessly master learning concepts, adding her own creative spin to projects while simultaneously maintaining a level of craftsmanship that demonstrates her attention to detail.
“Receiving this scholarship means a great deal to me, not only because it will assist me in pursuing my passion for art, but also because it acknowledges the hard work and dedication that I have put into my craft,” Brianna said. “Your generosity has given me the chance to further my artistic education, and for that, I am deeply grateful.”
“I promise to put my best efforts into my art studies and will strive to excel in all aspects of the program. I am excited to learn from the talented instructors and to be part of a community that is passionate about art. I am eager to explore different techniques, styles, and mediums, and to develop my skills as an artist.”
The Marisa Tufaro Memorial Art Scholarship is made possible through donations to The Marisa Tufaro Foundation from a member of the Greater Middlesex Conference Baseball Coaches Association, who wishes to remain anonymous, and other generous benefactors.
As a student at the Zimmerli in 2012, Marisa herself was the recipient of a generous art scholarship for her achievement in camp and based on her potential. Our foundation is honored to have an opportunity to pay that kindness forward.
Students who are Middlesex County residents between the ages of 7 and 14 are eligible for the scholarship. The application deadline for this year’s award was Feb. 1. Our scholarship committee selected the winners from a pool of candidates who shared Marisa’s passion and talent for art.
According to Rutgers University’s website: “During the hot days of summer, the Zimmerli is the place to be for budding young artists. Each year, new classes are added to stimulate, challenge and delight both veteran and newcomers who participate in the program. The Zimmerli continues to offer its popular classes in painting, drawing, pastels, watercolors, sculpture, and an art ‘sampler’ class.”
Marisa, who would have graduated in 2021 from Edison High School, was born with hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, a complex cardiac defect which required six open-heart surgeries. Marisa developed two life-threatening conditions that necessitated a heart transplant. The transplant was supposed to extend her life, but tragically cut it short when a postoperative complication developed into a rare form of cancer (post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder) to which Marisa succumbed in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, Marisa was an honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.
Edison High School baseball coach Vinnie Abene, past president of the Greater Middlesex Conference Baseball Coaches Association, said a coach from the league called him immediately after Marisa’s untimely passing to propose the idea of an art scholarship.
“There are a lot of great guys in our association and there were a lot of ideas that were thrown around at the time,” said Abene. “There was one particular coach that was really moved by what he saw (at a memorial service) with the amount of art projects that Marisa had accomplished and created. That truly inspired him to have a unique idea. He called me the same night and told me what his idea was, and he certainly made it a point that he wanted to keep it anonymous because it wasn’t about him. He just wanted to make sure that some worthy students would use the money toward an art scholarship.”
Marisa’s ambition was to attend an art college, and while God’s plan did not allow her to make it to one, her work did.
A piece Marisa constructed with a New York City School of Visual Arts graduate student during an art therapy session at New York Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital was displayed at the “Your Turn” exhibit at the college’s Flatiron Gallery in Manhattan a month after her untimely passing.
Established just over five and a half years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has already made a profound impact, donating more than a quarter of a million dollars and spearheading multiple community initiatives to fulfill its mission of helping pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
The nonprofit has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies, and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value.
In addition, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has awarded $26,500 in college academic scholarships to 38 exceptional Middlesex County high school students who advance the nonprofit’s mission, and 20 scholarships to elementary and middle school students to attend the Zimmerli Art Museum’s Summer Art Camp.