Sister city art contest

The Hot Springs, Arkansas and Hanamaki, Japan winners of the 2013 Sister Cities International Young Artists Showcase local competition, co-sponsored by the Hot Springs National Park Sister City Program and the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs, were announced during Friday’s Gallery Walk at the Fine Arts Center.  The contest theme was “The Power of Exchange.”  This year, both art and poetry entries were submitted.  The entries will be on display until the end of April at the Fine Arts Center, located at 626 Central Avenue.

The first-place art entries from both Hot Springs and Hanamaki will be sent to Sister Cities International for national competition, with the opportunity to go on for display during the 2013 Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX in June.  If chosen as a finalist, the winning entries will go on an international tour to select Sister City locations for one year. The winners are:

HANAMAKI, JAPAN - Art

First place – Yuka Kikuchi, age 17, Hanamaki Higashi High School, unnamed artwork.  “Last year, I participated in an exchange program with our sister city, Hot Springs.  It was a great opportunity, and the importance of respecting each person’s individuality was really impressed on me.  I tried to express this in my drawing.  The colors represent different races of people, so the image represents exchange between different races.  The hands removing the blocks express people cooperating together.”

Second place – Chieri Chida, age 17, Hanamaki Higashi High School, unnamed artwork.  “I imagined various cultures blending together into one.  I think it is important for foreign cultures to respect each other and understand and incorporate the positive aspects of each other’s cultures.  I think it would be very beneficial if through international exchange we could learn about many different countries and deepen our connection with them.  So I also intended this piece to signify a unification of various cultures.”

HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS  - Art

First place – Kelci Adams, age 15, Fountain Lake High School, Gift of Giving.  “What inspired me was the face that we all need to come together and be close and I believe that the hand demonstrated it well.”

Second place – Reagan Clem, age 17, Fountain Lake High School, A Food from Two Cities.  “In both cities, we have food from different cultures that we enjoy.  This is a representation of such.”

Third place – Alexis Price, age 17, Fountain Lake High School, Together As One.  “A dogwood tree which is American and Sakura tree which is Japanese, coming together as one.”

HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – Poetry

First Place – Taylor Beakley, age 17, ASMSA, Willing Generations.  “I was inspired by the views of my peers and how they contrast with older generations’ views.”

Second Place – Emily Hollansworth, age 18, ASMSA, One Heart.  “In the summer of 2010, I traveled to Hanamaki, Japan as part of the first student delegation from Hot Springs.  While in Japan, I stayed with Himeka Sasaki.”