The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970 to celebrate our Earth and the
wonders it provides, as well as to recognize and address the problems facing it. The "Voices of the River Art and Poetry Contest" is held each year to honor Earth Day. This contest allows students to explore the French Broad Watershed through art and writing.
This
program can be combined with a Voices of the River poetry and Art lesson presented by RiverLink staff. All
entries should be submitted to RiverLink with a completed submission form attached. Entries will be judged by local artists, RiverLink staff, and volunteers.
Please join us for our 5th annual Voices of the River: Art and Poetry Contest
Submissions will be accepted through March 9th, 2012.
2012 Rules and Guidelines
Categories:
- Poetry and Writing
- 2D Art (crayons, pencils, paint, ink, markers, photography (at least 8”x10”), collage, digital art)
- 3D Art (ceramics, mixed-media)
- Each Medium Category will have winners from the each Grade Level category: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Guidelines:
- Complete submission form (please print clearly)-submissions will not be considered without form
- Optional: Students are encouraged to include a short description of their work, how they chose
their topic, and why they think it is important to learn about the French Broad River.
- This contest is open to residents of counties in the French Broad Watershed in North Carolina.
(Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, Madison, Haywood, Mitchell, Yancey, and Avery counties.)
- Ages 3-19, but youth aged 17-19 must still be enrolled in high school.
- Each contestant may only enter one time.
- All entries must be original work.
Poetry and Writing:
- Answer one of these Writing prompts
- Writing must either be typed or written in ink and easy to read.
Dimensions:
- 2D artwork may not exceed 11”x17” and be hangable.
- Sculpture may not exceed 1 1/2 ' cubed and must be free standing
How to Enter Your Piece:
- By entering the contest, participants agree to allow RiverLink to display, reproduce, and publish the submitted piece.
P.O. Box 15488
Asheville, NC 28813-0488
- Entries and submission forms can be dropped off at the Riverlink office, located at:170 Lyman Street, between 8 a.m. and 5 pm.
Our talented judges for 2012 include:
Cleaster Cotton; 2D Judge
Cleaster is the Inventor of the ALNUGE™ (Alphabets, Numbers, Geometrics) Curriculum which is in direct support of the White House's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education initiative. Cleaster is Founder of SETSE™ (Self-Empowerment Through Self-Expression) EducationalCurriculum, a certified teaching artist, an Arts-in-Education (AIE) Creative Communications Specialist and Founder of South River Arts Alliance. She is a member of the team that went to Europe and brought the Open Classroom School System and teaching method back to the U.S.
Cleaster is dedicated to art, nature, culture, and education. “I am grateful that my work has a positive impact on the lives of children.”
Karen Brown; 2D judge
Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts from UNCA and has experience in commercial art and as an art teacher in the school system for 10 years. She has participated in numerous shows with her art work in private and corporate collections throughout the southeast. She is an active volunteer with the Arts for Life Organization.
“I love sharing with the view my excitement and passion for the ever changing landscape, inspired by the beautiful misty mountains of WNC. I attempt to bring a peaceful, light and airy perspective to the canvas. I hope you enjoy the soft visual effect as you get lost in the distant horizon.”
Brian Leahy; 3D judge
Brian T. Leahy is a painter, sculptor, and print maker in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC. New to the Asheville area, he graduated from Davidson College in 2011, where he studied art and Buddhism. He is also the Director of Operations at a new Buddhist temple in downtown Asheville called Urban Dharma, and his art practice draws extensively from his daily engagement with Buddhism and his travels in Nepal, Tibet and India. You can see images of his work at www.briantleahy.com.
Susana Abell, Poetry Judge
Susana Abell is a performer and artist whose career has spanned two decades and three continents. She has worked as a puppeteer and circus performer in South America and throughout Europe. Carnegie Hall, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the NEA and the North Carolina Arts Council have sponsored her programs and residencies in the U.S. She is bilingual in Spanish, holds a Master of Arts in teaching, and has extensive experience running a local arts council.
Susana is a published poet and an author of stories for children. She currently tours with her husband and cohort, musician/songwriter Timmy Abell. Together they offer concerts and workshops for kids and families across the Southeast.
Allan Wolf, Poetry Judge
Allan Wolf is an author, poet, performer and educator who lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife and three kids. After three years teaching at Virginia Tech, Wolf became the Educational Director for Poetry Alive!, a national touring company that presents theatrical poetry shows for all ages. Wolf is also a member of The Dead Poets, a musical trio who transform classic poetry into toe-tapping tunes. Wolf’s mission has always been to take poetry to the people. Conducting more than one hundred presentations every year, Allan Wolf is a veteran traveler through all the diverse worlds of verse from poetry slams to public schools, salons to saloons.
Melissa Jacobs; 2D judge
Residing in Asheville where the concept of slow food is embraced, and there is a community focus on eating locally and supporting sustainable agriculture, Jacobs takes advantage of seasonal produce in the numerous farmers markets for her still life paintings. She is intrigued by artifacts and the relationships that objects have with one another, as well as the space surrounding them.
Jacobs's landscapes portray a reverent view of the land. The overall effect of which encourages the viewer to enter the scene on a certain level. Her goal is to create beauty and to communicate learning.
Toni De Lisa; 3D judge
Since 1986, Toni DeLisa’s passion has been clay. Her ceramic artwork’s natural surfaces echo her love of nature. She is drawn to the unpredictable excitement and primal experience of raku. Her work explores texture and form, inviting tactile interaction.
And a big thanks to our wonderful sponsors for 2012:
2011 Winners
| 1st Place Winners 2D |
Dante Garren
"Diego is on the Bridge looking at the river"
Asheville Montessori School
PreK –2nd
|
Noah Sulzman
"I Like it that Way"
Art in the Afternoon
3rd-4th
|
Anna Evans
"Breathless"
Art in the Afternoon
5th-8th |
Saige Hopkins
"No Swimming"
Asheville High School
10th-12th
|
| 2nd Place Winners 2D |
Milo Bannasch
"There was a Man Named Manning"
Asheville Montessori School
PreK - 2
|
Haven Schanbacher
"River Life"
Oak Hollow Academy
3rd-4th
|
[image coming soon]
Zoe Ann Eshan
"There is no question..."
Rainbow Mountain
5th – 8th |
Mackenzie Smith
"Sunset"
Asheville High School
10th-12th |
| |
| 3rd Place Winners 2D |
Vivienne Ankeney
"The River"
Home School
PreK-2nd
|
Edda Yambda
"The Spirit of the River"
Odyssey Community School
3rd – 4th
|
Rylan Schanbacher
"On the Prowl"
Oak Hollow Academy
5th-8th
|
Forest Wallingford
Untitled
Asheville High School
10th-12th |
| |
| 1st Place Winners 3D |
Hannah Utz
"Grandmother Willow"
Rainbow Mountain
3rd-5th
|
Alijah Dustin
"Paradise"
Asheville High School
6th-12th
|
| 2nd Place Winners 3D |
Nitara Kittles
Rainbow Mountain
"Blooming Earth"
3rd-5th |
Charlie Bradshaw
"Untitled"
French Broad River Academy
6th-12th |
| 3rd Place Winners 3D |
Lijin Claese
"Salamander"
Rainbow Mountain
3rd-5th
|
Holly Roberts
"Untitled"
Asheville High School
|
|
2011 Honorable Mentions:
Logan Brunk, jameson Inesco, Mathew Rader, Emily Adcock, Daniel Reid, Michael Conner, EmmaClaire McDowell, Forrest Beckett, Conner Tate, Jesse Barry, Avery Bemis, Haven Schanbacher, Haley Daub, Ryan Segall, Mia Richardson, Elizabeth Mangone
