ESCONDIDO — The San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum recently launched its first-ever mural contest with the goal of bringing together the North County community while highlighting the artists in the region.
The winners of the contest, which has a theme of “The Joy of Being Outside,” will see his or her work displayed on a 20-by-16-feet canvas outside of the highly trafficked children’s museum. The space is currently occupied by work of Aled Anaya, an Escondido art teacher.
Wendy Taylor, executive director of the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, said the nonprofit decided to launch the project because they saw it as a “unique opportunity.”
“With 170,000 visitors coming through our doors each year and many more driving past us on North Broadway, we saw a unique opportunity to use our building as a platform for artists and community to engage in meaningful conversations about art, childhood, belonging, and environmental consciousness,” Taylor said. “The museum is looking forward to presenting a contest that will involve the community and North County museums in a meaningful way.”
The contest, which is being sponsored with a County of San Diego grant, is open to any artists over the age of 18. Soudabeh Mermazadeh, an art instructor at Del Lago Academy, and Chrisanne Moats, director of the Escondido Arts Partnership, are among a handful of jurors who will be tasked with narrowing down the entries before the public decides on a winner.
“We’re excited to include in our jury not only museum professionals and artists, but also local high school students, museum supporters, and the general public — since shortlisted artworks will be submitted to an online public vote to select the winning entries,” Taylor said.
Taylor said artists who are hopeful to have their work displayed on the billboard are encouraged to “reflect on environmental stewardship and education, and submit artworks that spark reflection and conversation.” Two winners will be selected with each mural on display for six months.
“The jury is interested in artworks that explore the unique feelings of freedom, hope and joy characteristic of childhood, that are often found in relationships with the outdoors,” Taylor said. “What does a child’s fearless connection to the land mean?”
“This is an exciting opportunity for artists,” Beth Marino, associate director for the California Center for the Arts, which is partnering with the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum on the mural contest, said. “Aside from the personal achievement of having their art selected for such a public venue, we hope that they see and help promote Escondido as a community that has a vibrant and thriving art scene.”
Of course, it isn’t just the winning artist who will benefit from having his or her artwork on display. Taylor said the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum’s visitors will also appreciate the mural.
“We are excited to print our first winning entry in the spring, and to watch children and families interact with the art,” Taylor said. “We hope our visitors will be inspired to participate in the public vote, so that the artworks going up are truly reflective of our community. We plan to incorporate curricula into our museum’s daily programming so that young visitors can feel inspired in turn to create their own art, understand the art that is up on the museum’s wall, and engage in interesting conversations with educators and caregivers.”
“More importantly, the community as a whole, will also benefit,” Marino said. “Public art inspires and uplifts. We hope that artists take into consideration and are inspired by the community of Escondido.”
The deadline for the contest is midnight Friday, March 27. The jury will narrow the entries down to 10 pieces, which will then be decided on by the public online. The two winning artworks will be announced on May 11 with the first piece on display from May to October and the second on display beginning November.
For more information about the mural contest, go to muralcompetition.sdcdm.org/.
