Mary's Minnesota State Fair Results

Good Hair Day Takes a Third Place

Heaven to Me Takes a Blue Ribbon!  

Fun!  Mary's first time to try entering the state fair education contests. We were inspired by my students Nehemiah and Solomon, who incidentally each got four ribbons this year! They are super into art and it's fun to see all their work and how it grows each year.

Kids enter for the grade they just finished and there are different "lots."  Mary entered three items--"Good Hair Day" in mixed media painting--she got a 3rd place ribbon out of 28 entries. She also entered a print from a project from school which didn't place. Her poem "Heaven to Me" got a blue ribbon in the poems lot. (See April 2014 blog for Good Hair Day and January 2014 for Heaven to Me)

I don't know the grading--why they don't always give a blue ribbon or give a couple red and whites. Guess I'll learn that as we go. How do you judge children's art and literature? I have no idea. I know how to judge children's piano playing--how to discern skill and technique and balance it with musicality and creativity. How does a sloppy expressive performance place against a flawless mechanical one? Neither is complete.

I'll refrain from pretending to know anything more about art than art history 101 and a western  american art appreciation class to fulfill a writing component in grad school--read easy elective. Art, wine, music. . . you like what you like.

I do think it's pretty cool that "Heaven to Me" placed--I was a little concerned that the religious theme might not fly in Minnesota. Yeah for that!  I guess her inclusive words made up for any overt references to Christianity. I'll take it.

Also, at last count, sales of Good Hair Day prints topped $350--all of which Mary donated to Feed My Starving Children.  I guess that qualifies as good art no matter what you like. There are still a few left. . .

So, we are off to the fair this afternoon. It's the great Minnesota get together and this is what we do. My husband will eat one of everything--he was after all raised here. We will spend too much money on pronto pup corn dogs and french fries and pork chops on a stick and the kids will go down the giant slide and Mary will ooh and ahhh over the bunnies and no we will NOT be entering a bunny next year. . .