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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 ”.