Art contest gives students chance to depict visions of civil rights movement

McDonald’s of Central Alabama is celebrating Black History Month by co-sponsoring the Celebration of Creativity Art Contest for the fifth year.

Students in grades K-12 can compete for cash prizes by submitting drawings, paintings or mixed-media pieces depicting the civil rights movement and the country’s progression. 

And if the entries meet the standard set in previous contests, they’ll demonstrate both surprising artistic ability and some powerful insights into a momentous period in American history, said Debbie Kiker, marketing director for Angels Advertising.

The overall artistic quality of the work submitted has been “simply amazing,” she said. 

“There was one picture in particular of Rosa Parks the first year that really stood out to me and was so impressive,” Kiker said.

“The quality, breadth and depth of talent among these participants are always astounding to me,” said Larry Thornton, an artist, contest judge and McDonald’s owner-operator. “It’s clear to me that many of these young artists are tremendously moved by their own renditions.”

“It’s quite moving to see how they show their viewpoints,” Kiker said.

The students are not shy about depicting challenging or difficult subject matter, according to Thornton, who said he’s been impressed by the “emphasis on some of the atrocious scenes/circumstances depicting the civil rights movement — police dogs, freedom riders, marches, boycotts, etc. — as opposed to civil rights icons, which I thought to be quite telling.”

Today’s kids were born long after the original events, of course, he said.

“My sense is that to many of them, the civil rights movement occurred far more than 50 years ago,” Thornton said.

Despite that gap, many “participants were able to find a point of connection and identity” with the struggle, he said.

Thornton said he believes the contest “provides a unique opportunity to contrast current circumstances and opportunities to those experiences during the civil rights movement for African-Americans.”

The contest judges are Thornton, anchorman Steve Crocker of co-sponsor WBRC-TV and representatives from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and co-sponsor 95.7 JAMZ. 

Entries must be submitted by Feb. 2. Winners will be announced Feb. 23 at the BCRI.

For contest guidelines, go to 957jamz.com.