Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) invites West Virginia artists with disabilities to enter the 2015 West Virginia Diversifying Perspectives Art Contest and Exhibition. This second annual event will feature original artwork created by people with disabilities.
To enter, you must be at least 18 years old, be a West Virginia resident and have a disability. There is no entry fee.
“Last year’s event was a huge success,” said DRS Director Donna Ashworth. “This is such a great opportunity to showcase the creative and diverse abilities and contributions of people with disabilities.
The event also serves as an important tool to promote National Disability Employment Awareness Month in West Virginia during the month of October.”
All entry materials and artwork may be submitted starting June 1 and must be received no later than June 30, 2015. Complete submission guidelines and an entry form are available at www.wvdrs.org.
A juried artist will select the winning entries based on criteria including originality, imagination, visual interest and skillful use of materials.
The awards include:
Grand Exhibitor – The winning artwork selected as the Grand Exhibitor will be incorporated into and prominently featured in a poster promoting National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is celebrated annually in October. The poster will be distributed to businesses throughout West Virginia and will include an image of the winning artwork, a biographical statement about the artist and his or her disability, a photograph of the artist and the annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme established by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.
DRS will also purchase the artwork selected as the Grand Exhibitor (at a maximum cost of $1,000).
Awards of Excellence – Up to three $100 awards. These are not purchase awards.
The 2015 exhibition will open Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Culture Center in Charleston and will remain on display through Nov. 7, 2015.
DRS proudly presents this contest and exhibition in partnership with the West Virginia Office of the Secretary of Education and the Arts and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
DRS and the Division of Culture and History are both agencies within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts.
DRS is the state agency responsible for the federal vocational rehabilitation program in West Virginia.
Each year, DRS helps thousands of West Virginia residents with disabilities meet their employment goals by providing individualized work-related counseling, training, job placement and other vocational rehabilitation services through its 30 field offices across the state.
The Division of Culture and History brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums.
Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities.
For more information on the Diversifying Perspectives Art Contest and Exhibition, including rules and entry guidelines, visit www.wvdrs.org or call 1-800-642-8207.