Glen Jean, West Virginia-Nature can be a great inspiration! Local students can celebrate their creativity and interest in nature through the Youth Arts in the Parks 2016 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Contest. This contest and April exhibition at Tamarack allows students to serve as community leaders and raise awareness of Appalachia's natural diversity and parks. Their works will inspire community connections to local ecology, as well as outdoor stewardship. Student participants in this art program will also have the opportunity to explore the business of art and its role in economic development.
This art contest is open to all K -12 grade students of Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers Counties. Youth can enter art through their school or independently. A variety of mediums can be used to create art inspired by a spring Appalachian wildflower found in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia. Complete contest rules, list of accepted wildflower species, entry form, and some species photo references are available online at https://www.nps.gov/neri/youth-arts-in-the-parks.htm or www.tamarackwv.com/gallery/youthartsintheparks.aspx. Entries must be hand delivered to a contest art receiving station betweenFebruary 1and 7, 2016. Top entries will be showcased at an April 2016 art exhibit at Tamarack in Beckley and online, plus winners will receive art awards.
This Youth Arts in the Parks art contestis part of New River Gorge Wildflower Weekend, an annual spring event that celebrates this region's amazing ecology. This event is hosted by staff and volunteers of New River Gorge National River, Tamarack, and the West Virginia State Parks of Babcock, Hawks Nest, Pipestem Resort, and Twin Falls Resort. Parks like these are places that "bring relevance to all citizens," said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. "That's where learning really begins."
Join this celebration of ecology through art withYouth Arts in the Parks!
For more information about participating sites visit:
National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/neri,https://www.facebook.com/newrivergorgenps, https://Twitter.com/NewRiverNPS, or stop by any New River Gorge National River visitor center.
Tamarack: www.tamarackwv.com or stop by Tamarack in Beckley, WV.
West Virginia State Park sites:www.wvstateparks.com or stop by any state park.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
