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.”
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.”
Awards will be announced on February 12th.