Local Students Win McDonald's Black History Month Art Contest

McDonald's Celebrates Black History Moments on Canvas will showcase winners at N'Namdi Center in February. End Quote

Detroit, MI (1888PressRelease) February 20, 2014 - Detroit-area McDonald's restaurant owners recently announced the 12 local high school winners of the 2014 "McDonald's Celebrates Black History Moments on Canvas" art contest. Parents, educators, community and business leaders, and the 12 finalists joined McDonald's on Jan. 31 for a reception to unveil the winning works and award prizes at N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art in midtown Detroit.

The goal of the art competition is to encourage research and thought among southeast Michigan teens about African-Americans' contributions to American and world history. The first-, second- and third-place winners of the contest won $2,000, $1,000 and $500, respectively. The nine remaining finalists each received a $125 Visa gift card. The first-place winner's teacher was awarded $375. Cash prizes for the winning student artists and winning teacher totaled $5,000.

"We are so proud of these incredibly gifted young people who presented beautiful works that highlight the history, heritage and accomplishments of black people," said McDonald's owner/operator Jon Campbell. "We were thrilled with the number of youth that participated in this year's contest and impressed with the quality of the artwork submitted. McDonald's remains committed to providing opportunities that promote the importance of education among our youth."

Contestants submitted an entry form and photo of their artwork that captures an event or figure in black history by visiting www.BlackMomentsOnCanvas.com for the first round of judging. A panel of judges then selected the semi-finalists who hail from public, private and charter schools in Wayne, Oakland, Monroe and Washtenaw counties. The semifinalists delivered their actual works to the gallery for the final round of judging by gallery owner George N'Namdi, The Michigan Citizen Publisher Catherine Kelly, and McDonald's owner/operator Tina Brundidge. The month-long public art exhibit will be on display Feb. 1 - 28.

"The caliber of submissions for this year's McDonald's Black History Month art contest is a testament to the many creative and talented students living in metro Detroit," said George N'Namdi. "I am proud to host this exhibit at the N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art and encourage visitors to join us as we honor and pay tribute to African-American history, and honor our community's young talent."

The complete list of winners:

First Place - Joshua Williams, 16, Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies
Second Place - Mikyala Dillard, 17, Davis Aerospace Technical High School
Third Place - Tiara Jeanise Ham, 17, Cass Technical High School

Fourth Place:
Zora Bowens, 15, Grosse Pointe South High School
Takia Ebony Brown, 17, Clawson High School
Halie Conyers, 18, Detroit Country Day School
Timothy L. Dye, Jr., 17, Old Redford Academy Preparatory High School
Abigail Fielder, 18, Grosse Pointe North High School
Joseph Harris, 19, Davis Aerospace Technical High School
Joshua Rainer, 17, Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies
Celanese Robinson, 17, Davis Aerospace Technical High School
Irene Strenski, 16, Ypsilanti Community High School

Winning Teacher - Manal Kadry, School Art Lead, Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies

About McDonald's
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