Here’s the Winning 2010 Student Art Calendar Cover

By GINA CACECI
Falls Church Times Staff

January 7, 2010

Until 2010, a new year’s tradition was distribution to every City household of a calendar showcasing winners of the annual Falls Church City Student Art Contest. But budget constraints led the City to cancel both the contest and the calendar this year.

That’s when the sponsors of FIRSTfriday stepped in to preserve the contest and to create an online calendar. Conveniently, the first Friday of the new year was New Year’s Day, when Art and Frame of Falls Church held a reception for the 65 students who submitted artwork for this year’s contest. Family and friends of the artists turned out to see the exhibit of all the entries and to hear the announcement of the 13 winners.

Thirteen winners? That’s right — one for the calendar cover, and one for each month.

The theme of this year’s contest was “Change in the City of Falls Church,” and the calendar cover winner is Maya King for her work entitled “Falls Church Changes in 2010″ (pictured above).

Each month, the Falls Church Times will feature that month’s winning entry at the top of Page 1. January’s winning entry will appear tomorrow.

Some of the students’ artwork features such new City institutions as the Flower Building, and Flippin’ Pizza.  “Reading Then Reading Now,” by Katie Pikturna,  illustrates the change she has observed in how kids read books, showing a girl reading a paper-based book and another reading an e-book.

The calendar featuring the winning entries will be available online at www.firstfridayoffallschurch.com/On_Line_Calendar.html.

The creative team of artists and designers at Art and Frame of Falls Church, along with FIRSTfriday intern, Robin Clark, reviewed all the entries and determined the following winners:

COVER – Maya King
JAN – Araba Ankuma
FEB – Ying Liang
MAR – Jonathan Babington
APR – Emily Rueckert
MAY – Katie Pikturna
JUN – Alli Bregar
JUL – Angela Swanson
AUG – Sarah Valley
SEP – Fae Montgomery
OCT – Rachel Bell
NOV – Meredith Brindley
DEC – Savanna Sulc

Each winner received a $200 gift certificate to Art and Frame of Falls Church, a plaque noting participation in the contest, and an Artist Sketch Set.  All participants received a certificate and a FIRSTfriday of Falls Church T-shirt.  Prizes were donated by Art and Frame of Falls Church and SmithGifford.

The 2010 Student Art Contest exhibit is on display at Art and Frame of Falls Church, 111 Park Avenue, through January 30.  Exhibit hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For more information, call 703-534-4202.