The Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina is pleased to announce the creation of the high school student art contest, “My Street, My Story: Celebrating History and Community through Youth Expression,” to mark the first anniversary of the Intersection on Main Street: African American Life in Columbia exhibition at the Columbia Museum of Art.
The contest celebrates students’ interpretations of the powerful stories, entrepreneurial spirit, and community resilience that shaped Columbia’s Washington Street Business District. Specific characteristics such as connection to the historical exhibition, relevance to modern-day issues, reflection on community, presentation, impact, and quality should be important in the submissions.
Submissions for the art competition may consist of visual art (traditional, digital, and photography) or literary work (creative nonfiction and poetry) in response to the Intersection exhibit. The free exhibit, created in partnership with Columbia SC 63 and the Columbia Museum of Art, highlights the lives and experiences of African Americans in downtown Columbia from the 1870s to the 1970s.
High school students enrolled in public, private, and alternative schools in Richland and Lexington counties are encouraged to submit their work.
Student art submissions will be evaluated by creatives and academic professionals within the Columbia community, including:
- Wendell Brown: fiber artist, Associate Professor of Art, and Director of The Henry Ponder Gallery at Benedict College
- Ija Monet Charles: muralist and creator
- Dr. Minuette Floyd: Professor of Art Education at the University of South Carolina
- Xavier Blake: Executive Director of OneColumbia
- Jahnna Blyden: founder/lead designer of CREATE! Studios
- Victoria Rickards: abstract artist
- Victor Johnson: lifestyle and documentary photographer
- Crush Rush: freelance photojournalist and commercial photographer
- Jessica Hunt: Principal Photographer at Jessica Hunt Photography
- Cynthia Boiter: Executive Director of The Jasper Project
- Tayler Simon: writer and owner of Liberation is Lit bookstore
- Dr. Nancy Tolson: author and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Department of African American Studies at the University of South Carolina
- Dr. April Langley: Department Chair and Associate Professor of African American Studies at the University of South Carolina
- Ray McManus: Writer-in-Residence at Columbia Museum of Art, poet, and Professor at the University of South Carolina (Sumter)
- Monifa Lemons: poet, writer, co-founder/director of The Watering Hole
“My Street, My Story enables students to examine the history of downtown Columbia and to learn more about the talented individuals and proud institutions that built our city,” said Dr. Bobby Donaldson, executive director of The Center for Civil Rights History and Research. “We hope the Intersection exhibit will inspire several creative submissions that will keep this vital history alive for years to come.”
Four winners will be selected from each category and announced in December.
Winning students from each category will receive a free, one-day admission pass to the Columbia Museum of Art, and their submissions will also be displayed for public viewing. Creative nonfiction and poetry winners will have their work published in the Spring 2025 issue of The Jasper Project literary magazine and its online platform, Jasper Online.
Submissions will be accepted from October 1 to November 1, 2024. All submissions must be received electronically through the Center for Civil Rights History and Research website: My Street, My Story Student Art Contest. Additional submission guidelines can also be found on the website.
