After an extremely successful art program for kids last year, Jersey City resident Susan Newman, founder of Frogs Are Green, will expand it this year.
Based in Jersey City, the program managed to get student art displayed in a number of public venues last year, including a display in the City Hall rotunda, the City Council caucus room, and the community center at Pershing Field.
Art pieces done by kids locally as well as world wide were also put on display at local art galleries.
Newman said the art project came out of a need to help make people aware of a huge environmental problem.
“Over one third of frogs are threatened with extinction” she said. “They are disappearing from all over the planet, and they’ve been around for over 200 million years. This has to be telling us that something serious is wrong with the planet.”
“The kids’ art contest got 1,000 entries from 32 countries.” – Susan Newman
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The money raised from the sale of these goes to organizations such as Save the Frogs.
The contest has a number of components
The kids contest has four age groups, 3 to 6, 7 to 9, 10 to 12 and 13 to 17.
“This year we’re adding a student-elder collaboration,” she said. “Any school working together with the elderly is welcome to submit.”
The theme for this year’s art contest is “Frogs and Water,” she said.
Some ideas for art work can been gleaned from her website, frogsaregreen.org.
“I try to post different articles on water quality and the life of frogs,” she said. “When people visit they can read those.”
The deadline for submissions is Dec. 15.
To enter the contest, you join the kids’ art contest group on Flickr and just upload your entries. Teachers can upload student’s work and parents can upload their children’s work. Those in a country where they cannot view Flickr can email their digital image to Frogs Are Green along with the child’s name, age and country, and they will add the image to the group.
For the contest, enter the Kids Art Contest 2014 link. Each entry must include the child’s name, age, and country (and a caption if you like) or the submission cannot be judged.
The photography contest is separate and open to people of all ages. This contest will accept submissions in two categories: Frogs in the Wild and Backyard Frogs. Photos can include pictures of frogs from local or unusual places, but cannot include photo manipulation or pictures of pet frogs. Entries are made via Flickr, and must include full name, state and country where the image was taken. The 1st place winners will receive prizes and 2nd place winners will receive a Frogs Are Green poster of his/her choice from the Frogs Are Green store. Winners will be judged and placed in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention categories.
“Last year, the photo contest got 150 entries,” she said. “The kids’ art contest got 1,000 entries from 32 countries. In addition we went into Jersey City public schools as an art project. More than 200 kids responded from 17 schools. We hope this will become a project again this year.”
She said the contest has different judges each year.
“When we select the judges, then we pitch it to the galleries to see which gallery wants to display the winners,” she said.
Last March, 58 Gallery on Cole Street displayed the works. From April to August, the Perishing Field Community Center displayed the works. In May, the works were on display in City Hall.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.