News : Vinton’s Big Read announces Art Contest Winners

Popular Vote: “Art for the Endangered” by Amanda Stewart

Dave Hobbs with his “Robin's Ten Foot”drawing

Angie Wittmer, with her mixed media work, “Hands”

1st Place: “Interstellar Flight” by Michael Hook

Thank you to everyone who supported Vinton’s Big Read Community Art Contest! We appreciate the artists, Vinton Public Library staff, VGFA Big Read committee members, and voters for making this event possible. There were 41 submissions, and nealy 150 individuals voted for their favorite piece. The winners were announced today at the library. 

1st Place: “Interstellar Flight” by Michael Hook

2nd Place: “Robin's Ten Foot Drawing” by Dave Hobbs

3rd Place: “Hands” by Angie Wittmer

Popular Vote: “Art for the Endangered” by Amanda Stewart 

The winners’ art will be displayed downtown at Pourville Art Studio and Gallery until January 30th! 

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

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The Big Read Community Art Contest concluded on Saturday, with a reception at the Vinton Public Library to announce the winners and congratulate everyone who participated. VGFA received 41 submissions of original artwork related to the themes in the book, Bewilderment, by Richard Powers, the focus of the Vinton Public Library's Big Read program this year. Cash prizes of up to $200 and gift baskets were awarded to the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place contest winners, as well as the winner of a “Popular Vote”, selected by over 150 community members who stopped by to vote on their favorite piece. 

The contest winners were:

1^st place - Michael Hook, for his piece entitled “Interstellar Flight”

2^nd place – Dave Hobbs, for his drawing of the book's lead character drawing endangered species, “Robin's Ten Foot Drawing”

3^rd place - Angie Wittmer, for her mixed media work, “Hands”

The Popular Vote winner was Amanda Stewart, for her colorful painting, “Art for the Endangered”. 

The winners' artwork will now be displayed until January 30 at Pourville Art Studio & Gallery. 

Vinton’s Big Read includes a variety of arts, conservation, astronomy, and literary events throughout the year. To browse and register, visit https://www.vinton.lib.ia.us/. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. 

The program is sponsored by the Vinton Public Library, Benton County Conservation, the Vinton Guild of Fine Arts (VGFA), and the Vinton Palace Theatre, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest, the Charles and Helen Yundt Charitable Foundation, and Friends of the Vinton Public Library.