Maine West art teacher Chuy Benitez was among eight local educators recently recognized in the 2026 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Chicago Regional Ceremony at Columbia College Chicago for having the highest number of individual student art award recipients. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards honors teen artists and writers in the Chicago area for their creative, original work. Benitez also served as lead coordinator for Maine West’s Scholastic Awards submission process.
Out of over 4,000 total art submissions – more than 1,000 of which were photography – only about 15% received any level of award. Among those 15%, nine Maine West photography students were recognized for their art submissions.
In addition to being honored by the Scholastic Arts and helping his students excel in their art, Benitez recently excelled in his own art and had three of his photographs published in the photobook Chicano Camera Culture by Elizabeth Ferrer. This photobook is currently on exhibition through September 2026 at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, California.
“It is a beautifully created celebration of the photography movement that I have participated in for the past 20 years,” shares Benitez. “The exhibition and the book also contain works from my former professors, mentors, heroes, and collaborators in the Chicano Photography Movement, and this book has immediate historical relevance, and I am honored to be included.”
Benitez’s strong instruction, organization and leadership resulted in the highest number of student participants and award recipients the school has seen in years.