New art contest open to Kingston youth

The Sydenham District Association (SDA) is managing an artwork contest open to youth in Kingston.

Tuesday, Jan. 31, is the submission deadline. Winners will be declared on Feb. 10 throughout numerous age categories—the greatest in the 15-18 and 19-25 brackets will each just take property $50.

The Journal spoke with Tara Sharkey, SDA board member, about the contest and applying artwork to improve associations among youth and the community.

“We required to involve the [19-25] age team to permit the college students of Queen’s know that we are listed here. We would love for them to be portion of it,” Sharkey explained.

The contest prompt is ‘What I Like About Winter!,’ which Sharkey claimed was motivated by her 11-12 months-outdated daughter’s pleasure about snow. She hopes the open-finished nature of the prompt potential customers to a variety of submissions in all designs and mediums.

“It will be genuinely appealing to see what people today submit—some men and women do some exciting cake decorating these times,” she joked.

“We are open up to whichever folks post and what they look at artwork.”

The timing of the contest is no coincidence. Sharkey and the SDA want to give artists one thing to be energized about during this chilly January lockdown.

“[The contest] had been on the back again-burner, but we needed to get it out now due to the fact this [current lockdown] is just depressing,” she spelled out. “It’s a great prospect to give something a attempt.”

Sharkey added that functioning on artwork can be therapeutic.

“There is a good deal powering artwork and mental overall health. Ideally, learners can see it that way—as an option to spend some time undertaking some thing to help their mental health and fitness.”

While the pandemic has undeniably pressured the romantic relationship concerning Queen’s learners and the broader Kingston group, Sharkey desires to be part of the alternative.

“We have frequent aims. We want to be in a position to have people communication traces open up. The Sydenham District Association desires safer housing for students, safer journey locations, and for [everyone] to really feel welcome in the neighborhood.”

Sharkey thinks presenting programming like art contests can be useful.

“[Student gatherings] are a very contentious situation around the metropolis, but we would genuinely like Queen’s and the city to start wondering out of the box, much more proactively,” she said.

“We have to prepare for very good, harmless activities, not ridiculous types wherever the law enforcement are concerned. [With the art contest], we just want to market fantastic relations concerning learners and the Sydenham District.”

For comprehensive contest information and to submit artwork, pay a visit to the SDA web page.