Youth Art recognized heros during Black History Month
Published 6:00 am Tuesday, March 13, 2018
- Lance Leblanc, from left, hands the Cleco sponsorship check to Heather Dominique and Krystal Boyance with the city of New Iberia Parks and Recreation Department.
Thanks to the generous support of Cleco, a youth art project for Black History Month has been resurrected. To prime the pump for a wider program in 2019, the city of New Iberia Parks and Recreation coordinated this year’s launch with 6th grade students in Iberia Parish schools.
The winners of the 2018 Youth Art Festival are as follows.
1st PLACE — Alliaina Armstrong, 11-years-olds in 6th grade at Sugarland Elementary, drew Langston Huges. Her teacher is Mrs. Grignac.
2nd PLACE — Makayla Williams, 11-years-olds in 6th grade at Johnston-Hopkins Elementary, drew Rosa Parks. Her teacher is Ms. Geneen Joseph.
3rd PLACE — Nicole Scott, 11-years-olds in 6th grade at North Street Elementary, drew Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Her teacher is Ms. K. Lovielette.
“This year we asked for 6th graders in Iberia Parish to participate. The contest was open from Feb. 9 through Feb. 26,” said Heather Dominique, superintendent of parks and recreation. “We had several entries. A panel of judges met and made the hard decision of picking winners.”
The Youth Art Festival was held from 1994 until 2012. When Cleco approached Dominique about funded a project this year as part of the Black History Month celebration, the Youth Art Festival was revived.
“In the previous years, we had participating sponsors such as The Daily Iberian, Iberia Parish Library, Holiday Sporting Goods, City of New Iberia Parks and Recreation, Iberian African American Historical Society and Iberia Parish School Board. It’s unclear why the program died out, but with Cleco’s support, I knew this was the time to start the art festival back up again.”
The donation from Cleco provided for winners to receive prizes. First place received a bicycle, art supplies and Youth Art Festival T-shirt. Second place received an MP3 Player, art supplies and Youth Art Festival T-shirt and third place received art supplies and a Youth Art Festival T-shirt.
“We really grateful for them this year, Dominique said. “Next year we are opening the contest back up to 6-8 years, 9-12 years and 13-17 years.”
To become a sponsor or for more information, contact the parks department at 369-2337.
