Photo Description: Colored pencil drawing of an artist's table filled with paint, brushes and paper. In the center are two illustrated cards. One reads, "Fall seven times, stand up eight" — a Japanese proverb. The other reads, "A journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath one's feet" — Lao Tzu.
The 2022 National Arts & Humanities Month poster design competition was open to artists for a chance to win a cash prize and have their artwork represent NAHM throughout the month of October. The theme is Championing the Creative Spirit and the competition aims to:
- provide a platform for art-makers with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences,
- envision National Arts & Humanities Month through the eyes of artists, and
- connect artists with local arts agencies in their communities.
All entries are now displayed on Americans for the Arts’ website. A panel of judges (see poster guidelines and judging criteria) selected 10 posters as finalists and anyone who visits this page Sept. 15 - 30, 2022, can vote for their favorite design. The artists who created the designs with the three highest vote totals will receive cash prizes, and the design with the most votes will be featured throughout National Arts & Humanities Month!
Lydia Land from Marlton, New Jersey, is one of the 10 finalists who needs your vote. Her entry is entitled “Card Studio.” Here is what she has to say about her artistic practice.
I learned early that success requires hard work and perseverance – and the capacity to handle rejection.
‘Card Studio’ is a view of some of my most popular handmade “quotation card” styles, and incorporates two of my own favorites: “Fall seven times, stand up eight,” and “A journey of a thousand miles starts beneath one’s feet.” These have always been two of my most popular offerings.
Many people have told me how much they can relate to both of those thoughts. A cancer patient let me know that she kept a copy of my “Fall seven times” card on her nightstand for inspiration during the darkest days of her battle.
For over 30 years I directed most of my energy toward making Lydia’s Land Handmade Greeting Cards successful, but in 2014, I resolved to find time to return to my love of drawing, painting and mosaic. Since then, I’ve been exhibiting new works in these media in juried shows throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Along the way, I’ve met many kindred spirits and embraced new opportunities for artistic growth. I now use more vehicles for exploration, but the original creative journey continues.
