NEWS RELEASE
SUSTAINABLE ORILLIA
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Electric vehicles, some of them flying. Green roofs. Lots of vegetation. Wind turbines. Solar panels. Bike paths. Taller buildings (densification). Clean water. Clean air. Sunny days. These are some of the elements that show up in the school divisions of Sustainable Orillia’s 2022 Art Contest, “What Will Orillia Look Like in 2050?”
The contest yielded more than 100 submissions from students at four local elementary schools and from Twin Lakes Secondary School.
What will our part of the world look like when we transform both our community and the way we live and do things? Our lack of imagination appears to be one of the obstacles getting in the way of the changes that all of us need to make.
Because of this obstacle, Sustainable Orillia asked students to imagine what our community—and hopefully the larger world around it—would look like if we seriously and aggressively took on the task of transforming our lifestyles and our community to meet the challenges of the climate crisis. After all, they are the ones who will be experiencing the world of 2050.
As indicated above, the elements that appeared in the drawings and paintings that we received indicated that young people—even in grades 3, 4, and 5—understand the kind of changes needed to transform our world and our community into a more sustainable place to live—a happier place!
A local group of artists were gathered to “jury” the submissions—and it was not an easy task! The group did, however, select the following winners:
Elementary School Division
- FIRST PRIZE: Brandon Ram. Grade 7. Couchiching Heights
- SECOND PRIZE: Sadie Broders. Grade 5, Severn Shores
- THIRD PRIZE: Milo Irving, Grade 4, Severn Shores
Honorable mentions
- Eric Frigault (Grade 5, Regent Park)
- Taylor Whitelaw (Grade 6, Orchard Park)
- Teagan McCahon (Grade 4, Severn Shores)
- Mariam Barrie (Grade 7, Orchard Park)
Secondary School Division
- FIRST PRIZE: Jazzy Mansfield (Grade 12, Twin Lakes Secondary School)
- SECOND PRIZE: Tristan Adam (Grade 11, Twin Lakes Secondary School)
Several of the works submitted for the contest will appear on Sustainable Orillia’s 2023 calendar, a fundraiser for Sustainable Orillia. It is hoped that the finished calendars will be available for sale to the community by mid-August. At a cost of just $10 apiece, Sustainable Orillia is hoping to sell 300 of them — reminders to hang in your home about the changes we all need to make.
Congratulations to the prize winners from the school contests. Many thanks, as well, to the teachers who encouraged students to think about “2050” and to submit their work for the contest. And a special thanks to all of the students who took on this challenging task of “imagining the future.” Well done.
One more thing. Sustainable Orillia has also asked established artists in our community to imagine what Orillia could look like in 2050. The deadline for contest entries from this non-school group is June 30, which is coming up fast. Some of these submissions could also appear on the 2023 calendar.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE TO ARTISTS SUBMITTING TO THE COMMUNITY CONTEST. If the work is not suitable to taking a picture and sending it to [email protected], you can drop the work off at Molly Farquharson’s Hibernation Arts Studio, 17 Peter St. S. in Orillia. Works can be delivered there between Tuesday, June 28 and Thursday, June 30. All entries, whether submitted electronically or in person to the studio, must be in by the end of the day on June 30.
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