Making Democracy Work

Visual Arts Competition 2025

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**This competition has ended! All entries will be displayed again May 21 to June 4, 2025 at the Libey Gallery at the Whitman County Library in Colfax. **

The Artists’ Reception was on April 19th at Neill Public Library where all the artists were recognized and the winning artists received their prizes. You can go to our YouTube Channel to see the presentation.

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Members of the Nez Perce Tribe, Judy Oatman and her grand daughter, made us 100 pieces of fry bread using a recipe that has been in their family for 40 years. They also made huckleberry jam from their fall harvest. What a special treat for the Artists Reception.

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We sincerely appreciate our judges for generously lending their time and expertise to help us choose the artwork that best represented this year’s theme. Click here for more info on the Panel of Judges for 2025

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This program is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Pullman/Whitman County’s Education Fund and supported by Neill Public and Whitman County Libraries, with contributions from the Tribal Consultation Program, Office of Native Education, and the WA Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

Visual Arts Competition Committee: Carolyn Joswig-Jones (Chair), Lennis Boyer, Deb Olson, Kat Odell, Aly Welch, Sutton Mooney, Kimberly Thompson, Crowe Gammons, Carol Ndambuki

Native America and the USA

Purpose: This art competition invites students in grades 3–12 living in Whitman County to showcase their artistic talents while learning about, honoring, and respecting the First Peoples. Participants are encouraged to reflect on the histories, cultures, and contributions of Native Americans. The LWV is a nonpartisan organization, and, as part of our civics education program this year, we seek to honor and celebrate the First Peoples while acknowledging that we now inhabit their ancestral homelands.

Eligibility:

  1. Participant must be in grades 3 - 12.
  2. Participant must be a resident of Whitman County.
  3. Participant must fill out an entry form completely with a parent/legal guardian signature and physical copy of artwork turned in.

Rules:

  1. Participants must read the Educational Program Summary and ensure their art is respectful and relevant to the theme.
  2. Artwork will be separated into three grade groups: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12.
  3. Artwork must be an original piece, completed entirely by the participant. Only one entry per student.
  4. Art materials may include the following: crayons, pencils, colored pencils, markers, pens, ink, pastels, paints, charcoal, collages, photography, mixed media, digital media, clay, plaster, wood, stone, cloth, cardboard, natural material, etc. Artwork may not be videos or images in-motion.
  5. 2-Dimensional artwork is not to exceed the size of 11 x 17 inches. 3-Dimensional artwork is not to exceed 1 cubic foot.
  6. No names, including the artist or artwork title, are to appear on the front of the completed artwork.
  7. The entry form must be filled out completely and accompany the artwork.
  8. Judges will evaluate artwork based on creative interpretation of the theme.
  9. The Visual Arts Competition Committee or the selected judges may disqualify entries if any of the listed rules are not followed.
  10. By signing the entry form, you are granting the LWV of Pullman/Whitman County full rights to use the physical artwork and photos of artists with their artwork for social media and educational purposes.

Prizes:

Multiple winners will be awarded prizes within each grade grouping. The winning prizes will be $50 to spend at local businesses and a copy of the LWVWA civics textbook, The State We’re In: Washington.

Educational Program Summary:

All participants must read the Educational Program Summary and ensure their art is respectful and relevant to the theme. Please click here for the Educational Program Summary

How to Enter:

Our preferred method for entering is for students and parents to use the online entry form. If it is not possible to enter online, one may submit their artwork with a signed paper version of the entry form.

Submit artwork with an attached copy of the completed/signed entry form by either method below:

Drop-off:
Neill Public Library in Pullman or Whitman County Library in Colfax

Mail:
League of Women Voters of Pullman
P.O. Box 366 Pullman, WA 99163
ATTN: Art Contest

Deadline for submissions: March 31, 2025

Winners will be notified by April 12th.

An artists’ reception will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2:00 p.m. at Neill Public Library in Pullman.

Please email if you have any questions. lwvpullmanvacc@gmail.com

We have a small group of League volunteers who are prepared to give in-person presentations relating to our theme. This program is up to one hour long and is for students in classrooms and organizations in Whitman County. Below is a link to a PowerPoint and supplemental material for the program. Please contact Deb Olson at olsonbones@aol.com to schedule a presentation.

Click here for the Google Slide Presentation

Click here for the Supplemental Material for the Slide Presentation

Additional Resources

LWVWA Textbook Grades 3-5 The State We’re In: Washington: Your guide to state, tribal & local government
LWVWA Textbook Free Digital Downloads including Grades 7-12 and Spanish versions of The State We’re In: Washington
John McCoy Since Time Immemorial Tribal Sovereignty Early Learning Curriculum
Online Resourse List from the Since Time Immemorial Tribal Sovereignty Early Learning Curriculum
Tribal Consultation Program, Office of Native Education, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Centennial Accord Agreement
Federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities
The Washington Indian Gaming Association
The original inhabitants of the area that is now Washington
Boldt decision affirms tribal fishing rights, sovereignty
The Fish Wars - Native Knowledge 360, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Office of Tribal Relations & Native American Programs
Plateau Peoples Web Portal WSU
Native Knowledge 360° National Museum of the American Indian
Tribal Perspectives Northwest - Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Art Competition Flyers:

Judges

The judges are appointed by the LWV of Pullman (Whitman County). The judges evaluate the submitted artwork using a Rubric scoring system with the following criteria.

Relevance to the theme: Development of theme through creativity. How well does artwork depict theme.

Visual effectiveness: Overall appearance. Evidence of planning and preparation.

Originality: Uniqueness of ideas.

Message: Clearly describes the artist’s intent.

Click here for the Panel of Judges for 2025

Past Competitions

2024 Visual Arts Competition Why Does Voting Matter?

2023 Visual Arts Competition Earth Art: Civics and the Natural World are connected.

2022 Visual Arts Competition What Does Democracy look like to you?

Please email if you have any questions. lwvpullmanvacc@gmail.com

Copyright LWV of Pullman

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