Portland Creates!

I am excited to announce Portland Creates has had 131 art entries. Portland Creates is a community based art contest that allows local artists of all ages to show off their talents and inspire others to do the same.We are very proud to have such great participation for our first year of Portland Creates and even more thrilled to have beat our goal of 100 entries. 

 Here on the Main floor of the library we have 32 adult art submissions on display as well as 6 staff submissions.These works of art range from photography, to paintings, sketches and even metal work. 

Staff Art

  Downstairs in the children's area we have 54 entries displayed. These entries were all created by children between the ages of 6 and 12. 

At our local Portland Federal Credit Union you will find tables filled with 45 teen submissions! 

Voting will take place throughout the entire month of March! Since the winners are decided based on popular vote be sure to stop in and support your favorite artists as often as possible! You may submit one vote per day, per age group. This means you can vote each day for your favorite adult, child, teen and staff member. At the end of the contest we will total the votes and the top 3 adults, teens, and children will each receive a prize! For the staff portion only one winner will be selected and since it is held separately from the Portland Creates event they will receive a staff related prize. The winners will be announced at the reception that will be held for participants and their guests on April 15th. We will display the winning works of art for one month following the contest.

How Portland Creates! came to be.................

Growing up I loved art class, I loved the feeling of accomplishment I got when I created something and I loved it even more when others liked what I created. The sad thing is, outside of school I never felt there was anything I could do with that talent. Once I finished High School the amount of things I sketched, painted, or sculpted dropped significantly. There was no need to work on anything artsy when there was nothing for me to do with it. I think this sadly happens to a lot of creative people in small towns. For me art supplies cost money and it comes down to why spend the money to finish something and have it sit in a box somewhere?

My passion for art was revived when I went on my first cruise last spring. This is where I attended my first art auction. For the first time I ever saw a famous work of art in person! My husband and I went to the art gallery events every day, it was the only thing we'd plan on. Seeing the beautiful colors, textures, and various techniques was beyond inspiring. I came home with a revived passion for art and a million ideas running through my head. I was finally inspired again! I wanted to find a way to bring more artistic inspiration to our small town as well.

I spent time researching other art contests to get an idea of how this contest should be run. I've spent months planning and coming up with the rules. I even wrote my first grant application with the help of our library director, and we were thrilled when we received that grant. I visited local schools to get the art teachers involved, and I know that without their support we would not have received so many teen and child submissions.Thanks to Lowell Arts, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Minigrant Program, and our partner PFCU! I believe this event has become a great success.

Portland Creates is something our town needed.  Many of the patrons that have come into the library have raved about the idea behind this event. They also felt like we have needed more artistic outlets. It's great to see our community embrace the idea as much as I have. I've loved seeing the excitement our patrons have expressed while browsing the art entries.  Some have even commented to us on how talented some of our community members are. We have watched as a family browsed the art and voted for their favorites. It was great to hear them discuss what they thought about each work of art and to see them encourage a love of art in their children. Portland Creates is something that not only benefits those with artistic talents, but also those who simply enjoy looking at art. Young aspiring artists can use the submitted art to learn new techniques and gain inspiration to improve various skills.