For the upcoming Native American Expo, scheduled for Nov. 7-9 at Western Carolina University, WCU’s Sequoyah Distinguished Professor, Cherokee Studies Program and the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts at Southwestern Community College sponsored a Poster Contest for grades K-12, WCU students and SCC students. The contest theme, “Contemporary Native Life” gave students the challenge of depicting what they felt was how Native Americans live today.
Entries for WCU’s Native Expo Poster Contest fill the OICA gallery. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Marley/OICA)
“We wanted to create a dialog within the classroom of what does it mean to be Native and how does that look today,” commented Dr. Hartwell Frances, Cherokee Language Program Director at WCU.
Over 65 submissions were received in two categories, photography and 2-D, from the New Kituwah Academy, Cherokee Elementary, Smoky Mountain High and Swain County High. For each category prizes of $200 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd Place, and $100 for 3rd place were awarded.
The winners for the Photography Category were 1st place: Kaitlyn Parker from Smoky Mountain High, 2nd place: Erin Zwick from Swain County High, and 3rd place: Christi Zollinger from Swain County High.
The winners the 2-D category were 1st place: Alexandra Treadway from Swain County High, 2nd place: Cara Haney from Swain County High, and 3rd place: Joy Hutcher from the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts.
All the entries are on display at the OICA gallery until November. At that time they will be moved to Cullowhee and included as part of WCU’s Native American Expo.
Southwestern Community College offers an Associate of Fine Arts degree program at The Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts. The Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts is located on Highway 19 North, behind Tribal Bingo at 70 Bingo Loop in Cherokee, NC. For more information about the Oconaluftee Institute of Cultural Arts, Southwestern Community College and the Associate in Fine Arts program, please call Jeff Marley at 828.497.3945; or on the web at southwesterncc.edu/finearts/
– OICA
