In an effort to display the creative talent within the Geneseo community, the first ever Geneseo Art Wall contest is currently in the process of accepting submissions. The contest is searching for local artists who can incorporate the Geneseo community into their artwork’s theme. Once three finalists are selected, their pieces will be on display on a temporary wooden wall at 71 Main St. The contest’s only limitation is that the artists must be at least high school age. By allowing a diverse range of ages to submit, it is apparent that the Geneseo Art Wall contest is allowing for Geneseo’s varied population to come together as one.
Although the pieces will only be on display at 71 Main St. so long as the construction endures, Geneseo residents will be able to walk past this civic reflection and be reminded of what it means to be from Geneseo—onlookers can admire the work of the community, for the community, by the community. Moreover, of the three selected finalists, it is the visitors who are going to vote on which piece should win “Best in Show.”
“We thought it’d be great to have a chance for Geneseo Main Street to have some artwork,” Livingston County Development intern junior Caroline Wilson said. “One of the things that we want to emphasize is combining the community and the college. Originally, we thought we would just do the college, but then we thought, ‘Why not see what everybody can bring to the table?’ and get to showcase people from all over the community.”
Taking into consideration the recent deaths of seniors Kelsey Annese and Matthew Hutchinson, a strong sense of unity should be stressed more than ever. The Geneseo Art Wall contest only serves to make Geneseo pride that much more tangible.
“Geneseo is such an impressive community and everybody here loves it. Everybody is proud to be a part of Geneseo,” Wilson said. “That being said, though, people will have these different takes on the theme and I think that different things are going to be important to different people … We want to see what people will come up with about Geneseo.”
The Geneseo Art Wall contest will serve as a reminder that art will always be around in Geneseo, even when funding for the fine arts is diminishing here on campus.
“It’s definitely a bummer that we don’t have a fine arts department now and that there’s not as many opportunities for people to use their creativity in that way, although the option is still there,” Wilson said. “So I think this will be a great outlet for that and it’d be nice to bring some art back to campus.”
The Geneseo Art Wall contest will be accepting submissions until Monday Feb. 1. The three selected pieces will then be up on the temporary wall by Feb. 29, in order for the community to come together as one—in viewing the art and in the art itself. Once the temporary wall is dismantled, the pieces will be transferred to a different location on Main Street befitting of the four by four foot designs.
“[The artwork] will definitely be a positive representation of Geneseo,” Wilson said.