"WATER IS LIFE" ART CONTEST

Students – Use Your Artistic Creativity to Make a Difference!
“2010 —The Year of Water.”

by Joyce Swenson

The Freshwater Society in partnership with the South Central Service Cooperative (SCSC) and the other service cooperatives statewide will host the sixth annual “Water is Life” art contest. The Freshwater Society has declared 2010 —The Year of Water in an attempt to bring awareness to the severity of our freshwater resources and this contest gives students an opportunity to aid the cause by finding an artistic way to express the importance and significance of water. Artists may choose from a variety of media including photography, sculpture, drawing, mixed media and painting and short video. Scholarships totaling $3,000 will be awarded to students who best express the theme “Water is Life.”

The art contest is open to all public, private and home schooled students grade 9-12 in the SCSC service cooperative region and has been endorsed by MN Academic League Council and is listed in the 2009-2010 Reach for the Stars catalogue. Information will be broadcast to the high schools and brochures detailing the contest guidelines and entry forms will be posted to the SCSC Web site: www.mnscsc.org – click on “Water is Life” Art Contest. The competition is two-tiered. South central semi-finalists will be announced at a regional reception on April 14, 2010 at the Carnegie Art Center in Mankato and will join semi-finalists from the other service cooperative regions to compete in the state competition on May 5, 2010 at the Gray Freshwater Center in Excelsior. 

Student participation in the art contest with focus on 2010—The Year of Water will help the Freshwater Society to increase Minnesota’s awareness of the looming water crises, to stimulate people to plan and act proactively and to foster a culture where water is valued, protected, reclaimed and secured for generations to come. Join the quest to promote the conversation, preservation and responsible management of all freshwater resources – convey the importance of water through art—“Water is Life.”