PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee – (January 19, 2021) – WonderWorks Pigeon Forge announces its youth art contest winners have been selected. SM-ART: Smoky Mountain Youth Art Gallery, located inside WonderWorks Pigeon Forge, will display the winning pieces for a year. The winners also each receive four complimentary tickets to WonderWorks to visit the art gallery and see their work on display. The winners of this year’s art contest are:
Danielle, 8th Grade, Powell Middle, Art Title: Lost in Space
Luis, 8th Grade, Powell Middle, Art Title: The Setting Clock
Keera, 8th Grade, Powell Middle, Art Title: Brainstorming in Time
Madison, 7th Grade, Grandview Elementary, Art Title: Life’s Journey
Adam, 8th Grade, Powell Middle, Art Title: Just Breathe
Nathan, 1st Grade, Pittman Center Elementary, Art Title: I Like My Home
Colton, 4th Grade, Grandview Elementary, Art Title: Hands of Time
Mikaela, 8th Grade, Powell Middle, Art Title: An Illusion
Brooke, 4th Grade, Grandview Elementary, Art Title: Clockwise
Briley, 1st Grade, Pittman Center Elementary, Art Title: The Camel
Anna, 6th Grade, Boyds Creek Elementary, Art Title: Silently Pondering the Stream
Max, 1st Grade, Pittman Center Elementary, Art Title: Jungle Ninja Warrior Koala
Katelyn, 8th Grade, Grandview Elementary, Art Title: Float Away
Nathan, 1st Grade, Pittman Center Elementary, Art Title: The Rainbow
Alex, 6th Grade, Grandview Elementary, Art Title: The End
“The youth art contest is one of the many wonderful family-friendly programs we offer here at WonderWorks,” explains Ed Shaffer, general manager for WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge. “We are happy to give young artists a way to have their work on display, and to encourage others to get involved.”
Artwork submissions were accepted in the fall, through January 15, 2021, with the winning submissions going on display in the gallery on January 22, 2021. The theme of the contest for this year was “Time to Think,” which encouraged young artists to think and express their thoughts through art. Artists were encouraged to focus on creating art that had a unique concept, design, and execution. The winning artwork will help expand the illusion art gallery in a special section created to highlight youth art.
Encouraging youth to express themselves artistically can have lasting benefits. According to the School Superintendents Association, the arts play an important role in human development, enhancing the growth of cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor pathways. Plus, they report that the arts provide a higher quality of human experience throughout a person’s lifetime.
“We are happy to have local artists’ work on display in our gallery,” added Shaffer.” We hope many people will come view it and encourage their child to enter the contest next year.”
While this was the inaugural year for the art contest, it will be held annually, with submissions being accepted each fall. In addition to the SM-Art Art Contest, WonderWorks Pigeon Forge offers homeschool days, virtual learning labs, and more. WonderWorks also offers many STEM-related exhibits, activities, and demonstrations. For more information, visit the site at: https://www.wonderworksonline.com/pigeon-forge.
WonderWorks has adopted COVID-19 safety protocols, including reduced hours, enhanced cleaning efforts, social distancing measures, employee health screenings, and employee personal protective equipment (PPE). Guests are encouraged to review all safety rules prior to their visit on the web page devoted to COVID-19: https://www.wonderworksonline.com/pigeon-forge/covid-19.
WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge offers 35,000 square feet of “edu-tainment” opportunities, billing itself as an amusement park for the mind. It offers over 100 hands-on exhibits covering natural disasters and space discovery, an imagination lab, a physical challenge zone, a far out art gallery, and a light and sound zone. WonderWorks is open daily, for more information, log on to the site: https://www.wonderworksonline.com/pigeon-forge/.
About WonderWorks
WonderWorks, a science-focused indoor amusement park, combines education and entertainment. With over 100 hands-on exhibits, there is something unique and challenging for all ages. Feel the power of 74 mph hurricane-force winds in the Hurricane Shack. Make huge, life-sized bubbles in the Bubble Lab. Get the NASA treatment in our Astronaut Training Gyro and experience zero gravity. Nail it by lying on the death-defying Bed of Nails. Conquer your fear of heights on our indoor Glow-In-The-Dark Ropes Course. WonderWorks hosts birthday parties and special events seasonally. Open daily from 10a.m. until 9 p.m. https://www.wonderworksonline.com/pigeon-forge.
