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BAMOS Dec 2017
Article
Only One Sky: AMOS Art Competition 2017
Stephanie Downes AMOS Education and Outreach Committee
The 2017 Art Competition ran from National Science Week in mid-August until late September. This was the tenth year that AMOS ran a schools arts competition( though in the early years, I believe it was combined with poetry submissions). This year, we formed new partnerships for the competition. We partnered with Only One Sky, a global citizen science project to unite the world as the Sky unites us all. The Director, Ben Whitehouse, served as the artistic judge for the competition, with renowned meteorologist Richard Whitaker as the science judge. We also partnered with The New Trier High School in Illinois, USA. One of their art classes judged several of the preschool and primary entries for a“ peer favourite” award( new this year).
We had several categories for submissions( Preschool, Junior / Senior Primary and Secondary levels), with most entries being submitted in the preschool and primary levels. We had 40 entries this year, half of the previous year, but the competition ran for a shorter period, finishing on“ Sky Day”, 22 September.
Many thanks to CSIRO, Scientell, Madman Entertainment, the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, Vaisala, and the Bureau of Meteorology for providing prizes to the competition winners.
Judges’ Feedback
Overall, the Art Competition was distinguished by two main features that both judges agreed upon. Firstly, the submissions were all of a high standard. And secondly, it was very hard to pick a winner!
Richard Whitaker
“ The art was innovative and imaginative with several approaches adopted that used techniques I had never even considered. As well as‘ realist’ styles we also saw abstract and symbolic work emerge— a fact that I found surprising in ones so young. Many of the colours depicted in the sky were intriguingly luminous and dramatic. Interestingly a hint of global warming also came through. I had to remind myself that this was the artwork of young children— primary school and below! I would have little doubt that some of these budding artists will have a real future in the world of art should they choose to engage with it.”
Ben Whitehouse
“ I was impressed with the quality of so many of the entries, especially given the ages of the participants. Some were visually stunning. Others were inventive and imaginative in the way they addressed our subject— the amazing shared resource above our heads. Bravo to everyone who took part.”
New Trier Students
Ben Whitehouse visited the art class of Alicia Landes— New Trier’ s Art Department chair— and of her 21 art students. The students spent almost an hour communing with Preschool and Primary aged art competition entries. Students first studied the images, made their own notes and then they had open discussion time.
Their comments on the winner( Robert Yecies):“ Beautiful use of color, line and texture”,“ Shows the horizon well”,“ Sky seems dynamic”,“ Sky engulfs the painting”,“ Sorrowful”,“ Everything comes together smoothly”,“ The sky blends perfectly”.
Their comments on the runner up( Runnymede / Kelly classes):“ Poetic and symbolic”,“ Wanting to go to the sky”,“ Shows we are all connected to the sky”,“ Imaginative. Creative”,“ Conveys the idea of relationship to the sky”,“ Atmosphere = People”.
Art Competition 2018
Stay tuned for the 2018 AMOS Art Competition that will be launched on World Meteorological Day, 23 March 2018, with our competition theme being“ Weather-powered World”.