If you dreamed about your artwork displayed for all to see, here is your chance to shine.
A colouring contest put together by The Community Company and Otherwise Studios is encouraging Guelphites to colour one of two available templates that represent the Royal City.
The winner of the contest — determined by a community vote on social media — will see their artwork printed and blown up to be displayed in front of the Old Quebec Street Mall.
“We felt like this colouring contest would be a really cool way to have kids, to have adults, really people of all ages and all skill levels to participate in something that is bigger than themselves, to participate in something maybe their neighbours are also participating in or their friends are,” said Justin Chan, founder of The Community Company.
The deadline for participants to submit their coloured artwork on The Community Company website is July 31.
The kiosk where the artwork will be displayed is owned by the Downtown Guelph Business Association and is used to advertise events in the community.
“They generously donated that as the top prize. So they’re covering the cost of printing and displaying the screen,” said Chan.
“Once we remove it, the winner of the prize will actually be able to take it home with them if they want to and stick it on their wall or display it on their home somewhere as well.”
Chan said the contest is not about who can create the most beautiful artwork.
“This is about creativity and about effort and about just participating in something as part of a community,” said Chan.
There are two colouring sheets available for download on The Community Company Website. The first is an illustration of two individuals walking on The Covered Bridge and the second is a collage of items that represent the city such as the Hillside Festival sign, coffee shops and the boathouse.
The pictures were illustrated by Otherwise Studios, an art studio in Downtown Guelph.
“They've put it just as much work as I have behind the scenes,” said Chan about the founders of the studio Ahmri Vandeborne and Abby Nowakowski.
“We have 60 prizes to give away so we’re going to be very generous with our prizes,” said Chan of the prizes that also include a $50 Take Home Pottery Kit for Two from Play with Clay, one of 20 custom-made Guelph Jigsaw Puzzles and one of 30 Guelph colouring books created by Otherwise Studios and Art not Shame.
