TAMPA, Fla. – The City of Tampa and Mayor Jane Castor invite the public to view a new art exhibit, Shine A Light Youth Art Contest, produced by the Tampa JCCs & Federation.
This exhibit, on display now in the lobby of the Tampa Municipal Office Building, is helping raise awareness about antisemitism, share educational resources and empower individuals to stand against the hatred of Jewish people through the power of art.
Mayor Jane Castor and the Tampa JCCs & Federation will honor the winners with a short ceremony on Thursday, July 14 at 1:30 p.m.
The Shine A Light Youth Art Contest was held in March 2022. The contest was developed to raise awareness of antisemitism, share educational resources and empower individuals to stand against the hatred of Jewish people through the power of art.
“We were curious to see what these remarkable students would do if we tasked them with the challenge of helping combat antisemitism through art,” said Jeffrey Berger, President, Tampa JCCs & Federation. “As you can see from the inspired and inspirational artwork on display here, our students were up to the challenge – they did not disappoint! We thank and applaud all of our contest participants for their thoughtful and creative submissions and congratulate the winners for their valuable contributions.”
“We need to remember lessons from history,” Mayor Jane Castor said. “Even in 2022, synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and Jewish people have been attacked. Community projects like Shine A Light help in raising awareness about the human cost of antisemitism.”
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Students in grades 4-12 were invited to submit two-dimensional artwork measuring no more than 24” x 24” along with a written description of their piece. Artwork included computer graphics, charcoal, pencil, lithography, pastels, oils, acrylics, mixed media, and more.
The entries were submitted to the Tampa JCC and Federation for review in two age groups:
- Junior Division, which included fourth through seventh graders;
- Senior Division, which included grades 8 through 12.
Mayor Jane Castor served as an Honorary Judge alongside a panel that includes educators, artists and community volunteers to select the winners. Winning pieces were selected based on artistic expression, style, message carried by the work, emotion depth depicted, originality and creativity.
Ten prizes in each division were awarded. First place earned $1,000, second place earned $500 and third place earned $300. Seven students in each division were awarded an honorable mention earning a $100 prize.
Visitors will be able to view the exhibit of the winning pieces as a tabletop display. The works can be found on display in the TMOB lobby through August 8, 2022. The next stop for the exhibit will be at Tampa International Airport in late Fall 2022.
To view the artwork, please visit jewishtampa.com/shinealight
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