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The GFWC-Brown Deer Junior Woman’s Club announces the winning artwork of the Helen Farnsworth Mears Art Contest for 7th and 8th graders for the 2022-2023 School year that was held at the Brown Deer Public Library on April 11, 2023.

The art contest was created in 1927 by GFWC-WI to honor renowned Oshkosh sculptor, Helen Farnsworth Mears (1871-1916).  Her works are on display in the U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Madison State Capitol, and other national and state collections.  

The art contest has three levels of competition:

1.   LOCAL - our GFWC Brown Deer Junior Woman’s Club

2.   DISTRICT - GFWC Lakeshore District, which consists of Woman's Clubs from Greenfield to Port Washington.

3.   STATE

The Brown Deer Junior Woman’s Club members also selected a “People’s Choice” in each Category.

STATE WINNER:

• 8th Grader Laura Lee's "Untitled" (Martin Luther King), Acrylic Painting won People's Choice, 1st at Local, 3rd at District and 1st at State.

DISTRICT WINNERS: 

• 8th Grader Jalisa Washington ’s “Sunflower Beauty”, Acrylic Painting won 3rd at Local and 1st at District.

• 7th Grader M'Zariyah Robinson’s “Untitled"(Flower over Girl's eye), Pencil won 2nd at Local and Honorable Mention at District.

Other LOCAL WINNERS: 

• 8th Grader, Kira Xiong’s “Catown”, Pencil, Pen and Sharpie won Honorable Mention at Local

• 8th Grader, Crissa Blaske’s “Two Sides of the Street”, Pencil and Sharpie won Honorable Mention at Local

Thank You to … 

• Mr. Christopher House, the Brown Deer Middle School teacher

• The Helen Mears Art Contest Committee:  Diane Stoiber (Chairman LOCAL and DISTRICT), Laura Smith, Pat Fox and Diana Otterbacher

• All Brown Deer Middle School art students who participated in this year's contest

See the Helen Mears Art Contest page for a photo carousel of all contest participants. We are looking forward to more great entries in the 2023 event.  Congratulations!