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 FIRST PLACE WINNERS
FULL GALLERY OF WINNERS including Hi-Res downloadable files for publication. "A Drop of Peace" Contest Winners Announced Unveiling at 4:00 p.m. Sept. 10 in Santa Monica Kids Creative Classics, owned by Grammy winner Bunny Hull, conveys "Peace" to the anniversary of 9-11 and fulfills the dreams of four young artists and poets with the announcement of its summer 2002 children's "A Drop of Peace" poetry and art contest. The winner's work will be unveiled to the public on Sept. 10, at 4:00 p.m. at Every Picture Tells a Story Children's Gallery, located at 1318 Montana Ave, Santa Monica. "I wanted to shine a "light of faith" into the future "through the eyes of children" as a way of helping bring positive new meaning to the wake of 9-11," said Hull, who is currently designing curriculum for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Hull is known as the "Pied Piper of Peace" to students who participate in her diversity and peace workshops. Hull, who has composed a song based on the first place poem, will perform Tuesday for the winners. First place winners will each take home 25 copies of the CD single to share with family, friends and maybe even a music mogul, or two. . First place in the poem category went to Casey Goodwin, 10, of Las Vegas. Upon learning of her win, Goodwin said, "I wanted to write a poem about peace because I think it's so important to have peace in the world. It's so cool it will be a song. Can I hear it now?" Nina Jazz Torres, 10, of Los Angeles took first place in art for her impressive pastel drawing "Peace" depicting two doves perched upon a fig branch, face to face as if "looking into each others souls." Torres' artwork will grace the cover of the CD single entitled, "Peace: Through the Eyes of a Child." Torres, a student of Larry Gluck's Mission: Rennaisance Fine Arts Studio, said, "I wanted to make a picture of birds getting along together'because if they can, why can't we? We should all have fun and enjoy each other, not fight." "Nina's drawing is surprisingly brilliant," said Los Angeles artist Synthia Saint James, the critically acclaimed illustrator of the U.S. Kwanzaa Postal Stamp. Saint James judged the art portion of the contest. Both children also receive a limited edition print of the Saint James painting, "Harmony," which graced the cover of Hull's award-winning Peace in Our Land: Children Celebrating Diversity album. Boonwadee Palagab, 9, of Las Vegas, took second place with her artwork and poem, which creatively expresses her sense of what peace means with an abstract Thai motif. "I wrote my poem for my mom and dad because they work very hard and appreciate America so much. We live in peace here and I think it's important to appreciate that," says Palagab. She will receive an entire collection of Hull's music and books for children and a signed copy of Saint James' "Harmony." Tessa Parker, 10, of Newbury Park is the Children's Book World $25.00 gift certificate winner and also took third place in the contest for her delightful poem and sketch of a rabbit. Tessa's words, "A rabbit sits upon the hill as quiet as paper that has not been written on," wowed the judges. "I'd been staring at a blank piece of paper for so long," said the young poet, "and the words just popped into my mind. I thought the page was quiet and peaceful, like a rabbit. Bunnies are very peaceful - except when they're being chased." Parker will also take home an entire collection of Hull's music and books for children. Adjudicated by Hull and Saint James, the contest, which ran May 27 through Aug. 20, encouraged kids to be visionaries by expressing their thoughts and feelings about peace in a poem or drawing. "It all starts with the children," says Hull, who won her Grammy for writing Patti LaBelle's huge hit "New Attitude." Hull believes that it is kids who can best teach adults how important "diversity acceptance" is to world peace and how, one-by-one, each of them can make a difference in the world. That's why her work for and with children, including the contest, "is created to encourage positive self-development through music, art and storytelling . . . we need their voices, creativity and vision to help make this a better world." |
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