Bloomington Environmental Commission announces winners of 2021 Eco-Heroes Art Contest

BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington’s Environmental Commission announces the winners of the 2021 Eco-Heroes Art Contest, who were recognized September 24 in a presentation posted to the Environmental Commission’s Facebook page. 

Seeking to encourage a connection to the natural world through creativity, the contest invited residents to submit works of art on the theme “Mission: Lower Emissions.” 

The winning pieces were selected from drawings, videos, sculptures, paintings, essays, poetry, and other works of art submitted by 40 local artists of all ages highlighting the importance of using cleaner energy, lowering emissions, and promoting environmental sustainability.  The contest returned this year after pandemic-related challenges prompted its cancellation in 2020. 

The winners are listed below:  

Kindergarten – 2^nd Grade:

• First place: The Walnut Classroom, Grades 1-3, at Bloomington Montessori School for their collaborative sculpture on the importance of circles and how they can mimic many environmental structures in natural areas

3^rd – 5^th Grades:

• First place: 3^rd grader Adelina Batten, for her piece titled “Don’t Litter Please”
• Second place: 4^th grader Vanora McKinlay, for her coding animation on lowering emissions
• Third place: 5^th grader Madeline Hartley, for her painting of what Bloomington will look like in the future

6^th – 8^th Grades:

• First place: 7^th grader Logan McKinlay, for his interactive game on how to lower emissions
• Second place: 6^th grader Easton Xiao, for his drawing of greenhouse gases surrounding the earth
• Third Place: 6^th grader Addelyn Prall, for her motiving essay on how we can change to a more healthy way of living

9^th – 12^th Grades:

• First place: 12^th grader Eva Stuart, for her poem titled “the American Dream”
• Second place: Marcia Johnson, Logan Addleman, Elly Axsom, Catharine Rademacher for their video titled “Single Use”
• Third place: Elspeth Tilley, Finne Goode-Collins, Sebastian Hibbins, Sophia Hahn, Tiana Hicks, Jenny Chen, Laura Cavar, Helen Schomacker, Lexi May, Joseph Collins, Catharine Rademacher, and Josh OdeDodson, for their video titled “Lin and Ash”

Adult:

• First place: Karen Holtzclaw for her piece titled “Catastrophe”
• Second place: Jodie Friend for her painting of a biker in a forest with windmills in the background
• Third place: Lucia Walker for her sculpture of greenhouse gas emissions consuming the human species

The following businesses and organizations helped sponsor prizes for contest winners: The Center for Sustainable Living, Needmore Coffee Roasters, Eco-Logic, Bloom Magazine, WonderLab Museum of Science Health and Technology, Indiana Geological and Water Survey, Aver’s Pizza, VET Environmental Engineering, Duke Energy, Taylors’ Par 3 Golf Course, Global Gifts, The Book Corner, Worldwide Automotive Service, and Mother Bear’s Pizza. 

Bloomington Environmental Commission

Established in 1971 by municipal ordinance, the Bloomington Environmental Commission (EC) is an advisory body composed of Bloomington residents appointed by the Mayor and Common Council.  The mission of the Environmental Commission is to advise the City of Bloomington on how its actions and policies may preserve and enhance the quality of Bloomington’s environment, including the life-supporting processes that natural ecological systems provide to humans and other organisms.