Toronto teen receives $4.1 million in scholarship offers from art schools

An Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) student scored big after amassing $4.1 million in scholarship offers from art schools around the world.

Jane Forrest demonstrated an innate passion for the arts from a young age. Following her graduation from elementary school, her drive and commitment to the craft landed her a spot at ESA after submitting 40 pieces even though only 20 were required from her.

The 17-year-old carried the same ambition when applying for post-secondary programs.

“The process for applying to post-secondary probably started in Grade 10,” she told BlogTO.

“At the craziest, I was putting in 12-hour days, so it was a really intense process.”

Forrest applied to 62 post-secondary programs, each requiring portfolios of her work. She was creating up to 20 pieces of artwork a week to keep up with the demands of the application processes.

“I wrote like 40 essays over a couple of months too,” she added.

Matthew Varey, the head of contemporary art at ESA, attributes her success to her hard work and dedication.

“Jane just did more than we’ve ever had anyone do previously,” he told CTV News.

“She applied to more schools, she got in touch with more representatives, she sent more emails, she made more paintings, she spent more hours making the work, and that’s really the crux of it.”

Of the 62 applications she sent out, Forrest mostly applied to schools in the U.S., 10 in Canada, and a few in Europe.

“I made a pro and con list for each school, then I had everyone give me the vote and whatever school got the most votes would be the one I’d attend,” said Forrest.

She ultimately had her eyes set out for the prestigious Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, though she had received acceptances everywhere.

It was during a family trip to the Big Apple at age nine that Forrest first discovered that her passion can become a career. Standing in front of a Jackson Pollock painting at the Museum of Modern Art, she was mesmerized.

“It was the first time I experienced a piece of work. Like, it wasn’t a still image. It was an experience that turned into a memory that really changed my life,” she told the Toronto Star. “I didn’t know art could do that until I saw that piece of work, and even though I was a small child, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

Since then, her work has been featured in galleries across the province including the Royal Ontario Museum and Remote Gallery where she was presented a solo exhibition. The teen has already curated six exhibitions, won 32 awards and has been published 35 times.