Spring Break
Hargerty Library holds first ever Earth Day art contest
Mike Hess
Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: News
Drexel University's Hagerty Library and the Environmental Sustainability Living Learning Community held its first-ever Earth Day art contest last month, and the winning submissions will be on display at the library through May 23.
The contest winners included Denitsa Spasova, a senior media arts and design major, in first place for her painting, "Urban Apocalypto"; Ruolan Lu, a sophomore business administration major, in second place with an untitled painting; and Jenna Navitsky, a senior graphic design major, in third place with her painting, "Windmills."
"[We wanted artists] whose passionate commitment is really attached to the issues rather than just the ability to make good art. … Artists have always been interested in attempting to educate people and create discussions," Dick Levinson, a spokesman for Hagerty Library, said.
Levinson said he thought students educating other students about environmental issues would be a good mode of communication and education.
According to Jane Bryan, director of libraries, the goals of this contest also tie in with the current presidential race and the Drexel Votes 2008 initiative.
"Part of that initiative [Drexel Votes 2008] is to encourage discussion of key topics, and the environment is certainly one of the important issues in this election," Bryan said.
Levinson added, "Part of our responsibility at Drexel University and Hagerty Library is preparing students to be informed, responsible citizens."
Levinson also said the librarians at Hagerty play in big role the educational process.
"Our librarians work constantly to make sure that we have the very best evidence-based information, tools and resources linked to the environment and environmental issues, which is a tough challenge," Levinson said.
Both Bryan and Levinson agreed that the art contest was a "lighter approach" to dealing with the environment than is usually taken.
"We thought this was a fun way to introduce a topic which can be sometimes presented in a grim way, and which we certainly feel is very important," Levinson said.
According to Bryan, this is the first time that the library has done something on a large scale for Earth Day.
"[The art contest] would pull in contributions from students all across campus and help us support Earth Day in a very visible way," Bryan said.
The Earth Day art contest first came about when Kevin Roehrig, a freshman math major, connected with the Environmental Sustainability Living Learning Community and presented the idea to Dorothy Schwartz, administrative services director for Drexel Libraries.
Each artist was limited to one submission, and in order to be as "liberal" as possible, all types of art pieces were allowed, according to Levinson.
The contest winners included Denitsa Spasova, a senior media arts and design major, in first place for her painting, "Urban Apocalypto"; Ruolan Lu, a sophomore business administration major, in second place with an untitled painting; and Jenna Navitsky, a senior graphic design major, in third place with her painting, "Windmills."
"[We wanted artists] whose passionate commitment is really attached to the issues rather than just the ability to make good art. … Artists have always been interested in attempting to educate people and create discussions," Dick Levinson, a spokesman for Hagerty Library, said.
Levinson said he thought students educating other students about environmental issues would be a good mode of communication and education.
According to Jane Bryan, director of libraries, the goals of this contest also tie in with the current presidential race and the Drexel Votes 2008 initiative.
"Part of that initiative [Drexel Votes 2008] is to encourage discussion of key topics, and the environment is certainly one of the important issues in this election," Bryan said.
Levinson added, "Part of our responsibility at Drexel University and Hagerty Library is preparing students to be informed, responsible citizens."
Levinson also said the librarians at Hagerty play in big role the educational process.
"Our librarians work constantly to make sure that we have the very best evidence-based information, tools and resources linked to the environment and environmental issues, which is a tough challenge," Levinson said.
Both Bryan and Levinson agreed that the art contest was a "lighter approach" to dealing with the environment than is usually taken.
"We thought this was a fun way to introduce a topic which can be sometimes presented in a grim way, and which we certainly feel is very important," Levinson said.
According to Bryan, this is the first time that the library has done something on a large scale for Earth Day.
"[The art contest] would pull in contributions from students all across campus and help us support Earth Day in a very visible way," Bryan said.
The Earth Day art contest first came about when Kevin Roehrig, a freshman math major, connected with the Environmental Sustainability Living Learning Community and presented the idea to Dorothy Schwartz, administrative services director for Drexel Libraries.
Each artist was limited to one submission, and in order to be as "liberal" as possible, all types of art pieces were allowed, according to Levinson.
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