Did you ever have a brilliant idea and tell yourself, “Somebody should really do this.” If you’re like most folks, that’s about as far it goes. Bringing an idea from conception to fruition is a daunting task, but Westford Academy rising Senior Sherry Ye was up for the challenge!
“Young Voices of Nature Environmental Art contest started because I was heavily inspired by an art competition I participated in last year, called the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest. Seeing all of the creative entries advocating for the ocean made me wonder if we could do something similar for Massachusetts’ own local ecosystems.”
“I came up with this idea last November, around the same time that I was applying for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.(NOAA) Youth Ambassador Program. From there, I connected with the wonderful folks at the Parish Center for the Arts. I had the opportunity to work with Board of Director Vice President Alice Phalen and George Kalabokis from WestfordCAT over the next few months to organize and plan the contest. George is also helping me prepare the flipbook.
“Since this is the first year, I was not able to secure any financial grants or sponsorship funding. However, WestfordCAT, the Parish Center for the Arts, and my NOAA Youth Ambassador Program have been incredibly supportive and have provided significant help throughout this process.”
Ye said she struggled a bit with promoting the contest. “In order to reach young artists around the state, I used environmental mailing lists, reached out to local art studios and teachers including my own, and promoted the contest through social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. I also received support from many environmental organizations, including Westford Climate Action and Westford Conservation Trust, which shared the contest through their mailing lists and social media platforms.”
“Unfortunately, I neglected to ask for the exact towns/locations of the participants, so I do not know which specific winners, if any, are from Westford. Due to this year’s limited budget, we were not able to award monetary prizes, but each winner received a certificate, along with a feature in the upcoming flipbook.”
Ye was enthusiastic about continuing the contest. “Hosting this first year has been such a wonderful experience; I’ve learned so much. I will most definitely host again next year – hopefully with a larger team of student helpers, too,” said Ye.
A talented artist herself, Ye did not enter any of her own paintings in the contest because she didn’t want to influence any judging decisions.
“However, I absolutely love art. It has been a passion of mine ever since I was young!”
