The winning submissions from the Housing Center’s Youth Art Contest hosted in March 2012 with grant support from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture are now available for viewing.
Thank you to all of the students from throughout Cuyahoga County who participated in the Housing Center’s Youth Art Contest hosted with grant support from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture! Students entering the contest were asked to respond to the question: “What makes your community great and how can you contribute to it by being a good neighbor?” The original artwork and essays created by the students were exhibited at the Seventh Annual Fair Housing Celebration & Art Exhibition on April 12, 2012 at Cleveland State University presented in honor of National Fair Housing Month.
1st Place
Our Community Garden
When I think of a community, I picture neighbors coming together and sharing. Since I’m talking about a community, I should tell you about my community garden, a couple houses down from mine where there used to be a vacant home. The city tore the house down and decided to re-purpose the land for a garden. When the landscaping and plots were designed, my family and I walked down to check out the garden for the very first time. It looked awesome. Everyone looked around and selected different plots. My family and I picked the two plots we wanted. We picked two great plots, one in the sun, and the other in the shade. A couple days later my mom and I went to the store to buy flowers and vegetables. We returned to the garden to plant that same day we bought the flowers and vegetables because it was supposed to rain that night. We wanted the flowers and vegetables to get watered. Some neighbors had extra plants and seeds and decided to share with the others. Within a couple of days our flowers and vegetables started to sprout and before we knew it, it was time to pick our vegetables. This experience helped bring many neighbors together, who otherwise wouldn’t have met and helped to make our community a better place.
—Taryn Scott, Wiley Middle School, 6th Grade
Cleveland Heights
2nd Place
In society today, I think it is right to help someone out in need. In my picture, there is a neighbor who is helping another neighbor who had recently got laid off. He is helping him with groceries and giving him a little bit of money. I hope that other people see this and know that one small act of kindness can make a big difference.
—Chase McCullough, Heskett Middle School, 8th Grade
Bedford
3rd Place
My art work relates to diverse communities and being a good neighbor because it shows how you should love everyone. It explains love because it illistruates people who are different colors and that what makes them diverse. People who work together and love one another are good neighbors. This is how my artwork relates to diverse community’s and being a good neighbor.
—Alexis Campbell, Heskett Middle School, 8th Grade
Bedford
Honorable Mention
My art shows what diversity means to me. Diversity to me means to love, to keep peace, to instill hope, and to have compassion. Doing this will lead to having a community where everyone supports each other.
—Katie Schwab, Heskett Middle School, 8th Grade
Bedford