Sunflower Art Competition 2009
Funded in part by the City of Davis Arts Contract Program

NEW:  Mental Health Education Award

The Sunflower Art Competition is sponsored by NAMI-Yolo, a grassroots mental health advocacy organization that offers education, advocacy and support to people living with mental illness and their families.   The competition is to choose the design for the “Seeds of Hope” sunflower seed packets which are sold throughout the year as part of NAMI-Yolo's Tallest Sunflower in Yolo County Contest. 

Entry Deadline:  Friday, May 29, 2009.
Entries must be delivered to

Davis Art Center,
1919 F Street
Davis, CA (map)

Thursday, May 28 or Friday, May 29 between 2pm and 7pm. To make other delivery arrangements or for more information, phone Marilyn Moyle at 530-756-8475. You can also leave a message at 530-756-8181.  Submitted work is not juried.

Entry Fee: There is an entry fee of $5 for adults (18 and over).  Entry fee will be waived for low income entrants upon request.

Sunflower Art Reception
Friday, June 12, 2009.  6:30-8:30pm
Davis Art Center
1919 F Street, Davis, CA (map)

Art Exhibit
Artwork will be displayed at the Davis Art Center
June 1-June 24, 2009.

Prizes
Prizes for sunflower-themed artwork are awarded at the Annual Sunflower Art Reception in each of the following categories:

• Children (Under 8)
• Youth (8-12)
• Teens (13-17)
• Amateur Adults (18 and older). 
• Professional Artists
• Schools
• Groups

Prizes will be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each category. A prize of $100 goes to the artwork selected for the NAMI-Yolo sunflower seed packet.

Mental Health Education Award
An annual award of up to $300 will be given to honor educators who use the NAMI-Yolo Sunflower Art Competition as an opportunity to educate students about mental health issues.  Details and application.

Art Pickup
Artwork must be picked up after the Art Exhibition period on Thursday, June 25 between 2 and 7PM unless other arrangements are made.

Background
NAMI -Yolo, a chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is located in Yolo County, a thriving agricultural center in Northern California where sunflowers are a major seed crop.   Inspired both by the sunflower painting by a young student with bipolar disorder and by the sunflower paintings of 19th century Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh who suffered from mental illness, NAMI-Yolo chose the sunflower as a bright and bold symbol of hope for people living with mental illness.

One of NAMI-Yolo’s missions is to make the wider community aware of mental health resources and issues. NAMI-Yolo has been building bridges between communities since 2002, first with the “Seeds of Hope” and “Tallest Sunflower Contest” then,  in 2003 with an Art Show and Competition to design the annual "Seeds of Hope" sunflower seed cards. The Sunflower Art Competition continues to grow.  In 2003, there were 50 art entries. In 2008, there were over 300 individual art entries.

The Sunflower Art Show has proven to be not only a successful community art event but is also used as an educational program in local schools where teachers have developed lesson plans that use the Sunflower Art Competition to teach students about mental health issues while learning about art.

NAMI-Yolo's hope is that as people become better educated about mental health, there will be a reduction in myths, misconceptions and prejudices that result in the stigmatization of mental illness and that often delay much-needed treatment.