Take a moment to look around. How many items can you see right now that are made with plastic? Cell phones, bottles, pens, toothbrushes, buttons, etc… all contain plastic in some form. Plastic often seems unavoidable in our everyday lives, and it can have consequences reaching far beyond what we see in our immediate area. Many plastic items being produced all over the world end up in our oceans and waterways, becoming marine debris. Studies show that the issue of marine debris has reached a dire situation. It is reported that 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in oceans each year. By 2050, it is predicted that our world’s oceans will be filled with more plastic mass than fish mass. Once in our waterways, marine debris has numerous impacts on the native aquatic animals and the habitat itself, some of which are still unknown. Current impacts on wildlife include entanglement, ingesting trash, or losing important habitat.
It’s time to change course by promoting a message of creative conservation and sustainability!
Please join the Mystic Museum of Art to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of plastics and other aquatic trash in our oceans. We invite you to celebrate our beautiful seas by creating a masterpiece made of recyclable trash. This is an opportunity to educate and inspire both your school and community to make a positive change through creative expression.
Contest Rules:
- Open to all Elementary, Middle, and High School (K-12) in Mystic and surrounding communities.
- Both collaborative group and individual work will be accepted.
- Submission must be created primarily from materials that pollute our waters. Examples of materials include: straws, plastic cups and bottles, metal, rubber, electronic trash, bottle caps, plastic shopping bags, deflated balloons, etc… You may use fasteners such as glue, tape, string, or other similar materials required for structure and support.
- The installations will be judged in the areas of Creativity, Craftsmanship, and Use of Materials.
- Displays must be within the parameters of 4ft x 4ftx 4ft.
- Art may be 2D or 3D.
- Please return your Intention form to MMoA by November 2nd.
- Submissions must be received by March 11th, 2019.
Prizes:
The Best in Show winner of each participating Elementary, Middle, and High School class will receive a $200.00 cash prize. (all school participation in making one piece is acceptable for submission however, in keeping with the our policy for fairness, these works would not be eligible for awards). The winning class will also receive a free field trip to the Mystic Museum of Art (excludes transportation), or an on-site visit to your school with one of our talented faculty artists.
Cash awards will also be given to 2nd and 3rd place finishers, and to the winners of individual installations.
All sculptures will be on display at our Mystic Museum of Art Exhibition space at 15 Water Street, Mystic, CT 06355 during our Young at Art Exhibit starting March 16, 2019.
