Poster Contest Entry Deadline Extended to
January 31
High School and college students from Wheaton and Montgomery County have two additional weeks to submit their original poster designs for the 2019 Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival (WAP19).
The winning design will be selected by a panel of Wheaton Arts Parade artists and the winning student will have the opportunity to work with one of WAP’s professional graphic design artists to turn his/her design into the image that will be used for WAP19 promotional materials. The winner will receive a cash prize of $300 from IHOP Wheaton, one of our founding sponsors.
Submit entries to: info@wheatonartsparade.org Subject: Poster Contest.
The winning design will be integrated into the poster template shown below. Please submit digital entries only. Entries should be 8.5” x 11” in size and saved as a 300 dpi to-size JPEG or vector PDF format. Please use no more than 5 colors, including black and white. Along with your submission please include the following information:
First & Last Name:
School:
Grade Level:
Art Teacher’s Name:
Email Address:
Phone #:
and
Wheaton Arts Parade is proud to announce that the Showcase Stage at this year's festival will feature performances by the Olney Theatre Center and two of Strathmore's renowned artists in residence. Members of the cast of Olney Theatre Center's production of South Pacific will kick off the day's entertainment with a medley of songs. Later in the afternoon, the program will feature Strathmore's Grammy nominated progressive hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon & steelpan artist Josanne Francis. Joining these artists will be the stars of tomorrow, the winners and finalists of this year's Montgomery's Got Talent, and performers from Blair, Einstein, Kennedy, Northwood, and Wheaton High Schools.
Grant Awarded for Community Art Workshops
On June 27, the Wheaton Arts Parade (WAP) was awarded a grant by the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County to conduct a series of “Community Art Workshops” for Wheaton’s Hispanic community. The bi-lingual workshops will be led by local Latino artists who are affiliated with WAP. The first workshop will take place later this summer and the series will continue through June 2019. WAP will be working in partnership with Wheaton’s community organizations, schools and churches that have a large number of Spanish speaking members and who share WAP's vision that making art brings the community together. If you or your organization are interested in participating, contact dan.thompson@wheatonartsparade.org.
The Wheaton Arts Parade Honored at Chamber of Commerce Banquet
The 34th Annual Community Awards Banquet was held on April 25, a hallmark event of the Wheaton & Kensington Chamber of Commerce. So many chamber members are also donors and sponsors of the Wheaton Arts Parade, including the Chamber itself and Westfield Mall, IHOP, Greenhill Realty, Washington Property Company, Los Chorros Restaurant, Ewing Hines & Associates, Fitzgerald Auto Mall, Wheaton Studio of Dance, One Montgomery Green, Ana G. Mendez University, Los Taxes, Montgomery Art Association, American Legion Post 268, ASAP Graphics, Griswold Home Care, Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center, and the Latino Economic Development Center.
Through their continued support, our Chamber of Commerce, our businesses, and county advisory boards demonstrate the value of the Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival in making Wheaton an arts destination and a celebration of our diverse community.
At the Awards Banquet, the Mid-County Citizen’s Advisory Board named Dan Thompson, who founded and directs the Wheaton Arts Parade, as its Citizen of the Year .Two of our participants in the inaugural parade were also honored: the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Glenmont Forest Neighbors Civic Association, including our own Jim Epstein, who directs the Festival.
Richard Montgomery High School Freshman Wins Poster Contest
This design by Chris Ma was chosen from among 40 entries by a committee of local artists as the image to promote the 2018 Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival. His design captures how the parade and festival bring the community together to celebrate Wheaton's local artists, its diverse cultures, and its designation as a Maryland Arts and Entertainment District. After being selected as the winner, Chris worked with graphic designer, Laura-Leigh Palmer, to turn his design into the poster that will be featured on banners, programs, and t-shirts. For his accomplishment, Chris received a prize of $300 that was donated by the Wheaton International House of Pancakes owned and operated by William Moore. Moore also is a member of the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee, that initiated the annual Fall event.
Wheaton is one of three Arts and Entertainment Districts in Montgomery County, but unlike Bethesda and Silver Spring, it lacks studio, gallery and performance venues. Organizers of the Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival hope the annual celebration of local artistic talent will encourage county officials to include a cultural arts center in county plans for the revitalization of Downtown Wheaton.
At the 2017 parade and festival, more than 50 artists, art groups, community organizations and businesses paraded up Georgia Avenue to the festival near the Wheaton Veterans Urban Park. The festival included more than 35 artists and arts organizations displaying and selling their work in a tented exhibition area. In addition, community organizations and government departments promoted their art-related programs.
Throughout the day, there was continuous entertainment on two stages including music, dance and readings. The festival also had a film tent and panel discussions with local filmmakers. A food court offered food and beverages from some of Wheaton’s favorite restaurants.
The 2018 parade and arts festival will take place on Sunday, September 23, with the parade starting at 10 a.m. and the festival running from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The event is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Westfield Wheaton Mall, and numerous local businesses and community organizations.
Grant Awarded to Wheaton Arts Parade
On December 20, 2017, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County awarded a grant to support the second annual Wheaton Arts Parade in 2018. Funds will be used for art supplies for parade artwork, public workshops leading up to the parade, community outreach, and equipment needed for the arts parade and festival. The grant will cover about one fourth of the estimated $40,000 cost of the parade and festival. The remaining funds will be raised in contributions from local businesses, individuals, and organizations. The parade and arts festival are free to the public.