Probably the youngest person in the audience last night for the presentation by Marc Deshowitz was Lily Williams. She is eight years old and is Marc’s granddaughter.
Lily was interested in attending last night’s presentation, “Preserving one of our most precious resource… our night sky.” She had watched Marc work on parts of his presentation at home and wanted to see the whole presentation.
In fact, she was so interested that she created a painting for Marc and then went on to create her own presentation about sea turtles. Here is her interpretation of the night sky.
Interpreting the night sky, by Lily Williams, 8 years old, Arrowhead Elementary
Lily is fortunate to live in a place where she can see the night sky and be inspired to paint it. Will future generations be so fortunate?
The population of Ivins doubled since 2000 and is expected to double again in just over 20 years. What will our night sky look like with twice the light pollution we have today?
Will there be nothing left to see for our children to be inspired by, marvel at, and cherish? Will the wonderment of the night sky be just a distant faded memory for those of us who were once lucky enough to gaze upon it?
We can’t let that become our fate. That’s why we are taking action now to improve, preserve, and protect the night sky over Ivins. We’re fortunate that the Mayor of Ivins agrees.
Contact us to tell us you support our efforts and/or to volunteer to help improve, preserve, and protect the night sky over Ivins. We have a lot of work to do and need all the help and expertise we can get.
Last night the Ivins City Council honored the five winners of the Vista School art contest held last month for Eva Lorentzen’s 6th through 8th grade students. The contest, sponsored by the Ivins Night Sky Initiative, challenged students to paint their interpretation of the night sky over Ivins. The contest was professionally judged by Steven Stradley, the Visual Arts Instructor at Tuacahn High School.
Mayor Hart asked the students to talk about what inspired them to create their interpretation of the night sky over Ivins.
Mayor Hart asked the students to tell the Council and audience what inspired them to create the art they did for the contest.
Shown here, from left to right, are Faith Olson, the second
place winner, Juniper McCowan, the first place winner, and their teacher, Eva
Lorentzen.
On display at City Hall
The other winners were Acelin Smith, 3rd place; with merit awards to Orion Hansen and Emmalani Gent. Their paintings are currently on display at City Hall.
The Mayor and members of the Ivins City Council will honor the five winners of the Vista School art contest held last month for 6th through 8th grade students at their March 21st City Council meeting. Students were challenged to paint their interpretation of the night sky over Ivins.
1st Place: Juniper McCowan
2nd Place: Faith Olson, Grade 8
3rd Place: Acelin Smith, Grade 8
Merit Award: Orion Hanson, Grade 8
Merit Award: Emmalani Gent, Grade 6
The winning artwork will be on display at City Hall. The meeting starts at 5:30pm and the student recognition will be the first agenda item.
Juniper McCowan, a Grade 8 student at Vista School in Ivins is the First-Place winner in an art competition for the best interpretation of the night sky over Ivins, sponsored by the Ivins Night Sky Initiative.
1st Place: Juniper McCowan
Her painting celebrates the beauty and wonderment of the night sky that we can still enjoy. We are fortunate. Nearly 80 percent of North Americans cannot see the Milky Way due to light pollution.
The judge selected this painting because, “This is a solid composition with an imaginative and logical interpretation of the night sky. The painting is well crafted and unified with a nice handling of art material. Strong contrast draws the viewer in.”
But this is much more than just a student art competition…
This is much more than just an art competition because we will feature the winning artwork in our community outreach in an effort to get Ivins designated as a Dark Sky Community.
That way, through their art, these students
will remind all of us in the community about the wonder, enchantment, and
importance of the night sky and why it is so important to preserve this amazing
asset.
The Judge
The students’ art was judged by Steven
Stradley, the Visual Arts Instructor at Tuacahn High School. Steven is a
professional artist and maintains an active studio. He is also represented at A Gallery Fine Art in Salt Lake City and
exhibits nationally.
Award Day
Juniper McCowan won First Place in the student art competition.
Other Winners
2nd Place: Faith Olson, Grade 8
2nd Place – Faith Olson, 8th Grade: The judge said, “This is an example of great use of mixed media. The painting is excellently crafted with very good control of material. It is a strong composition with the little slice of the landscape below. The complex use of material creates a beautiful and unified message.”
3rd Place: Acelin Smith, Grade 8
3rd Place – Acelin Smith, 8th Grade: Steven noted that, “This artwork is imaginative with original imagery. I love the idea of looking into the night sky and playing games, like seeing a whale. Constellations are found this way. It is an excellent interpretation of the night sky and you bring clarity to your concept.” (Note: The constellation Cetus is a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called ‘the whale’ today.)
Merit Award: Orion Hanson, Grade 8
Merit Award – Orion Hansen, 8th Grade: “This is a well-crafted image reflecting the density of the stars and the universe. The painting is complex and solid in its execution,” said the judge.
Merit Award: Emmalani Gent
Merit Award – Emmalani Gent, 6th Grade: Steven commented that, “This is a well composed image that reflects a great night sky in our area. Great shapes and gradients are used to create a compelling image.”
What can you do to help maintain our
beautiful night sky?
Use shielded outdoor fixtures
Install timers and motion-sensors
Use lower rated bulbs
Use “warmer” bulbs – look for 2700k or
lower on packages
Contact us and tell us you support our efforts, share your ideas, and volunteer to help improve, preserve, and protect the night sky over Ivins.
The Ivins
Night Sky Initiative announces a one-week art competition begins today at
Vista School in Ivins for 6th through 8th grade art students.
Winners will receive awards for the best art interpretation of the night sky
over Ivins.
Patty Dupre, co-founder of the Initiative, says this is much more than
just an art competition because, “We will feature the winning artwork in all of
our community outreach in our efforts to get Ivins designated an International
Dark Sky Community. That way, through their art, these students will remind all
of us in the community about the wonder, enchantment, and importance of the
night sky.”
Students in three art classes at Vista School are competing to paint their interpretation of the night sky over Ivins for the Ivins Night Sky Initiative.
The students’ art will be judged by Steven Stradley, the Visual Arts Instructor at Tuacahn High School. In addition to teaching, Steven is a professional artist and maintains an active studio in Saint George. He is also represented at A Gallery Fine Art in Salt Lake City and exhibits nationally.
Chris Hart, the Mayor of Ivins notes, “The dark night sky is a cherished feature in Ivins City. We’ve gone to great lengths to preserve it and the Initiative’s effort to achieve designation is one I support wholeheartedly. I’d like to thank in advance the students that will help us spread the message.”
According to Eva Lorentzen, an accomplished artist and the Visual Arts Teacher at Vista School who is conducting the contest for her students, “This is a unique opportunity for students to combine visual art with science, sparking creative thinking and using critical problem solving to come up with original interpretations of the night sky. It will be exciting to see how they perceive the night sky over our city.”
Steven Stradley, the judge, explained why
the challenge of this competition is particularly interesting, saying, “Art has
the great capacity to engage interdisciplinary thought. Prompting students to engage with the night
sky, through art, engages a sense of wonder, environmental and social
responsibility, and connection that bridges the cosmos and our humanity.”
Eva expects that it will stimulate students’
long-term interest in the night sky and encourage them to think about ways to
protect this valuable and fragile resource from light pollution so future
generations can look up and experience the same sense of wonder that we can
today.
Steven added that, as judge of the competition,
“It is always a pleasure to see what creative processes and artistic vision
each art work holds in store as I take time to view and contemplate. Much like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”
each artist has the capacity to re-envision the physical and metaphysical depth
of the heavens.”
The Ivins Night Sky Initiative is sponsoring a student art contest at Vista School for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in Eva Lorentzen’s art classes. The contest begins on January 28, 2019. There will be awards and winners will receive gift certificates.
The goal of this contest is to promote dark sky awareness and make the enchantment of the night sky a focus point for students that will stay with them throughout their lives.
Contest details to be announced on January 28, 2019.
