Category Archives: Art

ARTEFFECT 2026 Summer Art Competition Info Session Aug. 5

2026 Summer Art Competition: Innovation Generation — Info Session

STILL TIME TO JOIN! Learn more about the ARTEFFECT Summer Art Competition, Innovation Generation, open to students in grades 9–12! A free Info Session is being held via Zoom:

Wednesday, August 5, 4:00–5:00 PM PT

The session will explore the Unsung Heroes who were innovators, tips for submitting, award categories, and more. Hear from previously participating young artists and educators! Bring your questions! Free to join — registration required.

Register for the Info Session

The 2026 Summer Competition, open through September 15, 2026, offers multiple awards totaling over $20,000 in financial prizes. No submission can win more than one award or prize. Free to enter. Read the FAQs for more details about eligibility.


Presenting the 2026 Certificate of Excellence Winners

27 young artists were chosen as Certificate of Excellence awardees, creating artworks about Unsung Heroes from many different eras and professions. This spotlight features 5 Certificate of Excellence awardees with projects honoring women in STEAM who worked in the ocean.

Three students were inspired by ethnobotanist Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott:

  • Chloe Chen, an 11th grade student from Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, New Jersey, created Beneath the Surface.
  • Annie Hong, an 11th grade student from The American School in Chofu, Japan, created Abbott’s Ocean.
  • Meimei Zhang, a seventh grade student from Luckie Art Studio with teacher Yue Zheng in Lexington, Massachusetts, created Drifting Among the Corals.

Vlada Stinerman, a 12th grade student from Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California, working with ARTEFFECT Ambassador 2025–26 Emily Bittner, sculpted A Dive Through Reality, inspired by marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle.

Tina Zhao, an 11th grade student from Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, Washington, working with Jihoon Lee, won for The Unextinguishable Deep, honoring ichthyologist Dr. Eugenie Clark.

Congratulations to these students and all 2026 ARTEFFECT Awardees! View all 2026 winners.


ARTEFFECT Ambassadors Visual Arts Online Fellowship 2026–2027 — Call for Applications Now Open!

ARTEFFECT Ambassadors is an online fellowship for educators working directly with students in grades 6–12 to foster the visual arts. Ambassadors learn alongside other high-level practitioners through visual arts-focused, project-based lessons centered on the inspiring and diverse stories of Unsung Heroes from history.

Applications due Monday, September 14 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

Learn more and apply. | Register for the Ambassador Info Session.


Ambassadors in Action!

Meet 2025–2026 Ambassador Mary Anderson, a Visual Arts Teacher at La Salle High School in Pasadena, California.

Each ARTEFFECT Ambassador culminates their visual arts online fellowship with a capstone project that brings the inspiring stories of the LMC Unsung Heroes into their classrooms and communities.

Here is an excerpt from Mary’s Capstone Project report:

“Students really were moved by their LMC Unsung Heroes and I think giving them total freedom of choice helped with that. They really felt passionate about their stories.”

Congratulations to Mary and her students at La Salle High School for your inspiring ARTEFFECT projects! Read more about Mary’s capstone project.

Congratulations to Mary’s students for being selected as Finalists in the 2026 ARTEFFECT annual competition!


Stay Connected

Be sure to follow ARTEFFECT on these platforms for announcements, news, professional development, resources, and more!

For inquiries, contact: [email protected]

2026 ArtEffect High School Winners Announced

Presenting the
2026 High School Top Awards!
The $3,000 High School Best in Show prize was awarded to Paulina Ausucua, a 12th grade student at Stratford High School with teacher Rachel Goins in Houston, Texas, for her acrylic painting on canvas board The Shape of Growth about American plant scientist Norman Borlaug. The young artist depicts Borlaug amidst the wheat fields where he developed ultra-resilient grains fueling the Green Revolution that led to global food production. “His life is one of resilience, determination, and the idea that itis important to continue looking for solutions and pursue them, despite any challenges,” reads Ausucua’s Impact Statement.
Congratulations, Paulina Ausucua!
Winning the $2,500 High School First Place prize was Melvin Yoo, a ninth grade student working on an independent study from Chadwick International in Incheon, South Korea, for Running Against Cancer, inspired by the Canadian athlete and cancer activist Terry Fox. In his artwork made of gouache and colored pencil on paper, Yoo presents a victorious figure of Fox, whose Marathon of Hope grew into one of the world’s largest fundraisers for cancer research. “The artwork represents not only the significance of Fox’s journey across Canada, but also his influence as a symbol of perseverance, hope, and worldwide action against cancer,” Yoo writes in his Impact Statement.
Congratulations, Melvin Yoo!
The recipient of the $2,000 High School Second Place prize was Halyn Oh, a ninth grade student working on an independent study at Seoul Scholars International Art& Design in South Korea, for Butterfly’s Rebirth, a deeply layered work featuring human rights activist Kim Hak-Sun. In her Impact Statement, Oh says, “I wanted to share Kim Hak-Sun’s courageous action as my role model because she was the first one who broke the shame and came out to the public to reveal the truth and give a positive social impact.”
Congratulations, Halyn Oh!
VIEW ALL 2026 WINNERS

INNOVATION GENERATION
2026 SUMMER ART COMPETITION
Choose Your Unsung Hero!
The Innovation Generation directory highlights role models whose remarkable innovations, inventions, and research have made positive, profound, and lasting contributions to society. Browse the stories of these Unsung Heroes to choose a topic for the summer competition!

The 2026 Summer Competition is open to high school students. All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate, including rising high school freshmen (students entering 9th grade in Fall 2026) and students who graduated high school in 2026.

View Innovation Generation Directory
Visit Summer Competition
Ambassadors in Action!
Meet our 2025-2026 Ambassador Taneisha Whatley, a Visual Art Teacher at Westover High School in Albany, Georgia.

For her culminating capstone project, Taneisha created an interactive community gallery exhibition titled, “Beyond the Canvas” that displayed the student artworks and impact statements.

Here is an excerpt from Taneisha’s Capstone Project report:

“The response from our community has been overwhelming. During our opening night in May, we had parents, local leaders, and other students pack the room. Visitors commented on how mature the students’ insights were, and many expressed that they learned about Unsung Heroes they had never heard of before.”

Congratulations to Taneisha and her students at Westover High School in Georgia for your spectacular ARTEFFECT projects!

Read more about Taneisha’s capstone project
Congratulations to Taneisha’s students who were selected as Finalists in the 2026 ARTEFFECT annual competition!
2026 Finalists by Taneisha Whatley’s students: Sounds from the Army by Anthony Davis (Grade 12) about Unsung Hero James Reese Europe; and Systems of the Lab by Cameron Prim (Grade 12) about Unsung Hero Robert R. Williams.
SPREAD THE NEWS!
Stay connected with ARTEFFECT and spread the word about the 2026 competition winners. Be sure follow us on these platforms for announcements, news, professional development, resources and more!
ARTEFFECT Instagram
ARTEFFECT Facebook Page
Art Educators Facebook Group
ARTEFFECT YouTube
ARTEFFECT X
For inquiries, contact: [email protected]
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Celebrating the 2026 ArtEffect Winner

 

Artist Depicts Francis Perkins

Presenting the
2026 Grand Prize Award!
Steve Han, a 10th grade student at Beckman High School in Irvine, California, earned the $6,000 Grand Prize. Han’s colored pencil, marker, and pen work on paper, The Hands of Reconstruction, Frances Perkins, depicts Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a U.S. Cabinet position and a driving force behind landmark labor reforms that reshaped workers’ rights and social protections during the New Deal era.

In his Impact Statement, Han describes how the imagery of his artwork celebrates Perkins’ leadership: “In the center is Perkins who lifts a torn American flag. The flag shows a nation hurt and sunken by poverty, exploitation, and instability, but she still lifts the flag. Through this gesture, I wanted to express Perkins’ determination not to let suffering define the future.”

Congratulations, Steve Han!
VIEW ALL 2026 WINNERS
ARTEFFECT Winners Celebrated at MCAAD Gallery in Washington, DC!
On Sunday, June 14, ARTEFFECT Celebrated the opening of the ARTEFFECT Gallery at MCAAD in Washington, DC with previous winners Anne Jumper, Grace Li, and Sophie Sterling. Anne and Grace spoke about their artworks in the gallery, sharing about their process and why they chose their unsung heroes as inspiring role models.

Congratulations once again to the 43 young artists featured in the ARTEFFECT Gallery at MCAAD celebrating the LMC Unsung Heroes!

Learn More about ARTEFFECT at MCAAD
INNOVATION GENERATION
2026 SUMMER ART COMPETITION
NOW OPEN!
ARTEFFECT’s new summer competition, Innovation Generation, focuses on the theme of innovation and invites young artists to celebrate the stories of Unsung Heroes who made positive, profound, and lasting contributions to others through their innovations, inventions, and research.

The competition is open to high school students. All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate, including rising high school freshmen (students entering 9th grade in Fall 2026) and students who graduated high school in 2026.

Visit Summer Competition
Ambassadors in Action!
Meet our 2025-2026 Ambassador Michelle Hickey, an Art Teacher at Scio Middle & High School in Scio, Oregon.

Each ARTEFFECT Ambassador culminates their visual arts online fellowship with a capstone project that brings the inspiring stories of the LMC Unsung Heroes into their classrooms and communities.

Here is an excerpt from Michelle’s Capstone Project report:

“My students learned a lot more about their Unsung Hero’s needing to be able to speak about them, and the process it took to make their artwork, and they are a lot more confident now with what they would do in the future for another project like this.”

Congratulations to Michelle and her students at Scio Middle & High School in Oregon for your fantastic ARTEFFECT projects!

Read more about Michelle’s capstone project
Congratulations to Michelle’s student, Lily Burkett (Grade 11), for winning a 2026 Certificate of Excellence for her artwork Mother of the Mesozoic about Unsung Hero Mary Anning!
Michelle also had two other students whose projects were selected as Finalists in the 2026 ARTEFFECT annual competition!
2026 Finalists by Michelle Hickey’s students: An Unseen Star by Cecilee Faville (Grade 11) about Unsung Hero Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin; and Resilience and Safety by Lucian Hickey (Grade 8) about Unsung Hero Lt. Col. Tran Ngoc Hue.
SPREAD THE NEWS!
Stay connected with ARTEFFECT and spread the word about the 2026 competition winners. Be sure follow us on these platforms for announcements, news, professional development, resources and more!
ARTEFFECT Instagram
ARTEFFECT Facebook Page
Art Educators Facebook Group
ARTEFFECT YouTube
ARTEFFECT X
For inquiries, contact: [email protected]
ARTEFFECT Facebook
ARTEFFECT Instagram
ARTEFFECT
ARTEFFECT YouTube
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Copyright © 2026 ARTEFFECTlmc, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you either subscribed on our website or expressed interest in receiving updates while visiting us.

Our mailing address is:
1250 Fourth Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Phone: 310-570-4859
Email: [email protected]

ArtEffect Competition Awardees Are Announced

Announcing the 2026 Competition Awardees!
View Winners
ARTEFFFECT is excited to announce 46 winners in the 11th annual competition. In total, $49,750 in prizes were awarded to the 46 winners across the middle and high school divisions.

In this year’s international competition, students in grades 6-12 explored and championed the stories of LMC Unsung Heroes—role models who made a positive and profound, yet previously unrecognized, impact on the course of history. For their entries, these young artists created original works of art and wrote reflective impact statements to reframe these untold stories in an array of artistic expressions and reflections.

“In bringing these overlooked stories to life through art, students deepen their understanding of history and demonstrate the power of creativity as a tool for empathy, reflection and positive change,” says ARTEFFECT Executive Director Dr. Toni Guglielmo. “These visual arts projects highlight how individual acts of courage and compassion can inspire future generations to thoughtfully interact with the world around them.”

Thank you to all sponsoring classroom educators, art instructors, families, and communities for supporting these talented young artists through the 2026 competition. ARTEFFECT looks forward to celebrating these achievements over the coming weeks!

Read Press Release
Congratulations to the
2026 ARTEFFECT Competition Winners!
SPREAD THE NEWS!
Stay connected with ARTEFFECT and spread the word about the 2026 competition winners. Be sure follow us on these platforms for announcements, news, professional development, resources and more!
ARTEFFECT Instagram
ARTEFFECT Facebook Page
Art Educators Facebook Group
ARTEFFECT YouTube
ARTEFFECT X
For inquiries, contact: [email protected]
ARTEFFECT Facebook
ARTEFFECT Instagram
ARTEFFECT
ARTEFFECT YouTube
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Copyright © 2025 Lowell Milken Center, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you either subscribed on our website or expressed interest in receiving updates while visiting us.

Our mailing address is:
1250 Fourth Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Phone: 310-570-4859
Email: [email protected]

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2026 Summer Art Competition Now Open

ARTEFFECT_SummerPoster 2026

2026 SUMMER ART COMPETITION NOW OPEN!

INNOVATION GENERATION:
Inspired artmaking about Unsung Heroes whose ideas changed the world.

ARTEFFECT announces a new summer competition: Innovation Generation! This competition focuses on the theme of innovation and invites young artists to celebrate the stories of Unsung Heroes who made positive, profound, and lasting contributions to others through their innovations, inventions, and research.

The competition is open to high school students. All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate, including rising high school freshmen (students entering 9th grade in Fall 2026) and students who graduated high school in 2026.
Submissions due September 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

New Offerings At the Annual Shead Farm Festival This Saturday, May 16

Vickie and Larry Shead
Vickie and Larry Shead from their farm’s Facebook page.

Vickie and Larry Shead work diligently every year to have a homestead festival at their farm, located near Garland in Bourbon County. They do this to encourage the community in homesteading.

Alongside them are their children, grandchildren and community members who share in their enthusiasm for the homestead lifestyle.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, homesteading is “the act or practice of living frugally or self-sufficiently, especially by growing and preserving food.”

Over the years, the Sheads have widened the scope of their farm festival to include locals and a festival that includes events, entertainment, and vendors, making it a fun family day.

The Shead Farm Festival is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 2468 Cavalry Road, Garland. Tickets are $5 or for a family of five or more members $25. For more information 620.224.4149 or www.sheadfarm.com.

Shead Farm Festival flyer
From their Facebook page.

Vickie Shead said there are new events added this year and some new vendors.

“Laura James from Lucky Horse Ranch will be bringing her miniature horses for young children to ride.

“Also, Steve William, from Redfield, will be at the festival with wagon rides pulled by his giant draft horses.

“Other new vendors include: chicken tractors, canning shelves, herb/spices, birdhouses, books, baskets, fudge, pork rinds, sourdough items, and more!” she said.

Information booths will include the National Resources Conservation Service, explaining their grant program to help people farm and garden.

Shead Farm Festival activities

The Shead Farm Homestead Festival is offering kids vendor booth spots for young business-minded kids who would like to sell their products or services.

Young entrepreneurs vendor booths

If you have a young business minded child and you have been looking for an opportunity to sell their product or service, you have found it. Sign up for a spot at the Shead Farm Festival kids vendor booths. We look forward to hosting your young vendor and shopping their business booths.

Sign up for a kids (ages 6-18) vendor booth spot for FREE today by clicking HERE!

Fort Scott Presbyterian Village announces Art is Ageless® winners

Presbyterian Village, 2401 S. Horton, Fort Scott.

Fort Scott Presbyterian Village is excited to announce the winners of its recent Art is Ageless® juried competition and exhibit.

 

“We’re honored that local seniors allowed us to exhibit and judge their wonderful works,” said Angela Carpenter, senior living sales specialist. “Art is Ageless is unique because it only features the works of artists who are 65 and over.”  Our artists prove it’s never too late to create art, in any form.

 

Fort Scott Presbyterian Village hosted a reception for the winning artists listed here:

 

Best of Show amateur: Ann Rawlins, “Forest Fire”

Best of Show professional: Paul Milks, “Kansas State Bird”

People’s Choice amateur: Ann Rawlins, “Forest Fire”

People’s Choice professional: Paul Milks, “Kansas State Bird”

Judge’s Choice amateur: Janet Tucker, Log Cabin Jacket and Purse”

Judge’s Choice professional: Tony Fornelli, “Two Bass and Lunch”

Christmas amateur: Judy Howser, “White Christmas”

Drawing amateur: Letha Johnson, “Peace Offering”

Fiber Arts amateur: Ruth Bahr, “Share and Share Alike”

Mixed Media/Crafts amateur: Bonnie Seifer, “Ugly Flamingo”

Mixed Media/Crafts professional: Mary Eastwood, “Bench Shoe Box”

Needlework amateur: Marie Wiley, “Puppy Towels”

Needlework professional: Charlotte Kite, “Apples on Shelf”

Painting amateur: Judy Howser, “Wake Up Call”

Painting professional: Tony Fornelli, “Home on the Range”

Photography amateur: Donna Lutes, “Country Sunset”

Photography professional: Paul Milks, “Kansas State Bird”

Quilting amateur: Janet Tucker, “Log Cabin Jacket and Purse”

Quilting professional: Carolyn Sadler, “Slices of My Life”

Sculpture/3-D professional: Bobbi Kemna, “Pocket Full of Prayers”

 

Local competition winners will join winners from 14 other PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America®) senior living communities to be judged at the masterpiece level. Winning entries at the masterpiece level are selected for publication in PMMA’s annual Art is Ageless calendar and note cards.

 

Art is Ageless is a copyrighted program of PMMA®.  For the competition, works must have been completed in the past five years.  Started in 1980, Art is Ageless is an extension of PMMA’s wellness programs, which focus on mental, physical, social, and spiritual health.  The program encourages Fort Scott Presbyterian Village residents and other area seniors to express their creativity through its annual competition.

 

For more information about Fort Scott Presbyterian Village, 2401 S. Horton, contact Angela Carpenter, senior living sales specialist, at 620-223-5550, or [email protected].

 

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Bourbon County Arts Council Presents Barnaby Bright on April 30th

Bourbon County Arts Council

Sending on behalf of Chamber Member
Bourbon County Arts Council

Barnaby Bright

Bourbon County Arts Council Presents

Barnaby Bright

Thursday, April 30th

Doors Open 5:00pm
Hearty Appetizer Buffet 5:30-7:30pm
Performance 8:00pm

Crooner’s / Liberty Theatre
113 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS

Reservations Required

Tickets: $50 BCAC Member / $60 Non-Member

Contact:
Terri Floyd 620-224-7221
Deb Anderson 620-224-8650

Barnaby Bright event flyer

Art Competition Deadline Nears

COMPETITION COUNTDOWN:
— 7 Days Remaining! —
Time to Submit!
The ARTEFFECT annual competition, free to enter, invites students in grades 6-12 to create original artworks about Unsung Heroes and their invaluable lessons as role models. Students choose from a directory over 150 individuals. Students also write reflective Impact Statements (500-1000 words).

Multiple awards total over $35,000. Various 2D & 3D Media are eligible.

Submissions are due April 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Enter Now!
2026 ARTEFFECT Competition
Submission Guide
Follow this 10-Step Submission Guide to submit projects for the 2026 ARTEFFECT competition. There is no fee to enter the competition.

PRO-TIP: Allow at least 30 minutes to complete your submission using the online portal once you have gathered all the required information and materials on the Submission Checklist.

Download ARTEFFECT Competition Submission Guide
Congratulations
2025-2026 ARTEFFECT Ambassadors!
Last week, the ARTEFECT Ambassadors presented their capstone projects in the final session of the program. Since last fall, 28 fellows from across 17 states nationwide have been developing visual-arts-based projects. This diverse array of learner-centered projects demonstrates their wide-ranging creativity and the meaningful application of Unsung Heroes stories within their classrooms and communities. These capstone projects are being implemented through June. We are looking forward to sharing out more over the coming months! Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Ambassadors for a stellar year of incredible work!
View profiles of the outstanding educators in the 2025-2026 ARTEFFECT Ambassadors cohort. View the Capstone Projects slideshow here.
View ARTEFFECT Ambassadors Capstone Projects
JOIN THE GROWING COMMUNITY OF EDUCATORS:
ARTEFFECT Educators Facebook Group
For inquiries, contact: [email protected]
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Copyright © 2025 Lowell Milken Center, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you either subscribed on our website or expressed interest in receiving updates while visiting us.

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Phone: 310-570-4859
Email: [email protected]

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