NORWAY — #MaineReunited, a Maine-based art contest, is seeking submissions from Oxford county artists and creatives on themes of healthy and caring communities. Lights Out, a design and marketing business based in Norway, launched #MaineReunited last year in Oxford county. Since then the contest went to Aroostook and Washington counties, and is now back for a second time in Oxford county.
The theme for this year’s contest is healthy community: How do we care for ourselves and our community? What does a healthy community look like? #MaineReunited is open to new and established artists as well as children. Executive Director Daniel Sipe said that opening the contest to adults and children can allow for broader conversations about how they experience community and why it’s so important.
“Both adults and children felt the same division of community during the pandemic. Art can be a way for parents to talk with their children about why community matters,” Sipe said. “We hope this gives people a creative way to express what community means to them and to reflect on how the pandemic has affected that,” added Helen Lukacs, director of special projects for Lights Out.
Rachel Goldberg (left), was the adult award winner of the #MaineReunited Oxford County Art Contest. Also pictured from left, Karle Woods and Daniel Sipe of the contest’s sponsor Lights Out. Courtesy Lights Out
The #MaineReunited Oxford County Art Contest will award $1,000 prizes to three winners: an Adult Award, a Youth Award, and a People’s Choice Award. All submissions will be featured on Lights Out Art and Design’s social media pages and many of the submissions will be featured in a community art show and celebration at the end of the contest. Folks who submitted last year are encouraged to participate again. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 25.
Lights Out plans to announce all three winners by early December and to host a celebration of the award winners in mid-December, with the exact time and location to be determined. They also plan to have a vaccine clinic on site. A full list of contest guidelines can be found on the #MaineReunited website: https://www.lightsoutart.com/mainereunited.
For questions and concerns about vaccination, and for information on where to get a vaccine near you, please call 211.
Lights Out works to expand creative communities and to encourage conversation, collaboration, and an egalitarian arts experience. Lights Out Art Gallery produces on-line features of Maine artists, both new and established and hosts seasonal pop-up gallery shows. They have also recently purchased a building at 10 Tannery Street in Norway, Maine that they are renovating to be an arts community center.
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