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The Wellness Council has been holding a STOP BULLYING Art Contest in conjunction with the National Stop Bullying awareness month for October.
The focus is to highlight the real and serious problem of bullying and its negative impact on children’s lives. The efforts by the Wellness Council to get the word out by reaching out to all the schools in Colorado County including all three school districts and numerous private schools, has brought about amazing results with 347 entries from students across the entire county, grades kindergarten through high school.
Dr. Mazie Leftwich, President of the Wellness Council and a retired Clinician with 40 years’ experience, states that after using art therapy in her work with children and teens, she found that it was an amazing therapeutic tool.
“Our youth are bubbling over with emotions, many of which are hard for them to articulate. Through
art they can access their deepest emotions without the limitations that speech can present,” Leftwich said.
Wellness Council Officers Shirley Isbell and Nancy Williams have spent several hours sorting by grade, labeling on the back of the artwork names, numbers, grade and school; then they’ve mounted each art piece on construction paper to put a ‘frame’ around the art.
Wellness Communication VP Nancy Williams said, “I’m amazed at how clever and expressive the students were in following our theme. We made suggestions to consider: 1) What does a bully look like? 2) How does it feel to be bullied? 3) Stand Up and Speak Out. I will say this, some of the artwork made me want to cry. We have kids that are reaching out for help.”
Local artist and Wellness Treasurer Shirley Isbell said, “These young artists are amazing! Our community should come and see the artistic talent we have in our county at our Awards Reception on October 12th. The creative interpretations and use of various art medium is impressive and much of the art is both thought provoking and quite sobering.”
The reality is that bullying does exist, and it is grossly unfair to our children when adults ignore this reality. Our youth carry deep wounds when they have been bullied, often resulting in serious anxiety, depression and isolation.
The artwork speaks volumes about the need for parents and school staff alike to work together to address the issue. As Dr. Leftwich pointed out, “Many of us adults have had our fair share of bullying when we were young. I challenge every adult to think about their growing years and remember the pain of being bullied, or watching a friend being bullied.”
Join the Wellness Council as they celebrate students expressing themselves through art at the Awards Reception Thursday, Oct. 12th, at 6 p.m. at the Live Oaks Art Center.
Judges for the event will be: Nancy Stiles, Robyn Adams, Doreen Vail, Tisha Clickenbeard and Shirley Isbell. An array of categories for awards by grade grouping as well as by theme will be awarded with the winners. They will receive artistic medallions along with gift certificates to Walmart. Best of Show will be given a plaque along with a 186-piece Artist Kit in a polished wooden box.
The artwork will be on display throughout October in the Upper Gallery at the Live Oak Art Center, 1014 Milam St.
The public is strongly encouraged to support the community’s youth that have participated by attending the Awards Reception, catered by Pastry Chef Rachel Benjamin.
