Willow carnival makes appeal to artists

WILLOW -- Willow residents are gearing up for the Willow Winter Carnival, and with expanded categories for arts and crafts contests, are hoping to see a new crop of entries at the carnival.

"There's more of an art focus this year than in the past," said Dorothea Taylor, who is coordinating the arts and crafts contests for the carnival.

Willow Winter Carnival, held over the first and second weekend of February each year, has arts and crafts contests for artists from age 6 to adult. The carnival's change in emphasis, Taylor said, will allow organizers to more fairly showcase the talent of Alaska artists. In the past, she said, the category listings were so narrow, it pitted unlikely art mediums against each other. Beading and ceramics, she said as an example, were judged together, although the two art forms have very different characteristics.

"We went from six categories to 22," Taylor said. "You have to have more categories -- you have to have that availability, I think."

The 22 categories are open to contestants of all ages, with separate categories for children between the ages of 6 and 11, youth between the ages of 12 and 16, and entries must be delivered to the Willow community center between noon and 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, and will be judged Saturday, Feb. 7, with winners announced that day.

Entries in the arts and crafts contest will also compete in a people's choice competition, and visitors to the carnival over the age of 12 can take part in judging that event on the afternoon of Feb. 7.

In addition to the art contest, several other competitions will be held over the duration of the carnival. A Quick-Draw fund-raiser will be held at 5 p.m. Feb. 1, culminating with a silent auction. According to Taylor, several artists are being recruited for the event. An art medium will be chosen prior to the event, and each artist is responsible for supplying his or her own materials for the event. Artists will be allowed to set up their equipment in the Willow Community Center at 5 p.m. and, working on the subject of their choice, will have from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. to finish their piece. The completed works will be auctioned off through a silent auction at the kick-off banquet dinner held at the community center that evening. The proceeds from the silent auction, Taylor said, will be used to enhance future Willow Winter Carnival events.

Two art-related activities at the carnival are specifically geared toward young artists. The children's art competition, for children between 6 and 10 years of age, will be a timed event taking place Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. Children will have 20 minutes to color a picture that will be handed out at the event, and their work will be judged and prizes will be awarded. The youth art competition is for children between ages 11 and 16, and will also be timed. It will begin at 1 p.m. on Feb. 7, and children will be given modeling clay, with 30 minutes to complete an object.

For more information about the arts and crafts events taking place at the carnival, information will be available at the Willow Community Center.