Among many other factors, our communities, cities, and towns are made up of any number of historic structures and spaces, and we invite Virginia’s students to consider which historic structures are important in their community. As the debut of Preservation Virginia’s community education programs that connect to our broader, statewide preservation efforts, we are excited to announce the inaugural Historic Places Art Contest for K-12 students this fall!
This art contest asks students to create a visual representation of an historic structure or place from their community that they think is important to their local identity. These could include any number of historic buildings or structures, such as a former school, library, community center, historic house, or a bridge, or places like cemeteries, green spaces, memorials and more!
Open to public, private, and homeschooled students, the Historic Places Art Contest invites elementary, middle, and high school students to submit an entry. Students’ work will only be judged against others from their age division. Division I will include grades 3-5; Division II will include grades 6-8; and Division III will include grades 9-12. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be announced for each division. The winners’ work will be published in a digital gallery on the Preservation Virginia website and will receive a membership to Preservation Virginia as well as gift card prizes.
Art submissions will be due by December 9, 2022 at 11:59pm. For complete details and guidelines about the Historic Places Art Contest, please see the full announcement here.
The first step to learning about and preserving historic places is by raising awareness. We hope that this art contest will encourage students to look at their communities in a new way and consider the historic structures and places that contribute to its identity, in addition to promoting meaningful and creative engagement with the past.
Please submit any questions to Meika Downey, Education Coordinator at mdowney@preservationvirginia.org
