The Madison County Health Department and its community partners throughout the past year have been conducting a variety of activities as part of its Community Health Assessment. Among these activities were group meetings held throughout the County where individuals could comment on what they envisioned as a healthy and positive Madison County. As a result of these sessions, the Health Department has implemented a project initiated in conjunction with Joseph Murphy, a local artist and illustrator, inviting adult artists to interpret through illustration what they envision as a "Healthy Madison County." This call for artwork is an outcome of Madison County's Mobilizing for Action Through Planning and Partnership (MAPP) project, a community based, community driven project that identifies the issues critical to the success of the local public health system, the community's vision of a positive Madison County, and an improved quality of life of its residents.
"Having such broad community participation, the MAPP Committee thought it essential that the artistic community be represented as well. We anticipate that quality art depicting an aspect of health in Madison C0unty will not only foster an awareness of health among Madison County residents, but will also increase the visibility of adult artists in our area," said Eric Faisst, Director of the Madison County Health Department.
A panel consisting of Roger DeMuth and John Thompson, faculty from the Illustration Department at Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, will jury all entries. Ten images will ultimately be chosen that best visualize the statement from the Vision Statement for a Healthy Madison County that characterizes Madison County as a community that "values and protects its agricultural traditions, rich history, and natural scenic beauty." Deadline for submission is May 31, 2009. The selected entrants will be notified during the month of June. Winning artists will have their work reproduced and unveiled as poster-sized prints in an opening exhibit at the Madison County Office Buildings in August. Upon the close of the exhibit, the posters will remain on permanent display at the Public Health Department and will be available for display at other locations upon request through the Health Department. Images of the artwork will also be reproduced and printed on postcards that will be distributed throughout Madison County.
Entrants may submit only one piece. Requirements for submitted art must be a painting or drawing rendered to 11"x17," vertical or horizontal format. The image must be scanned to size as a JPEG file at 300 dpi and burned to a CD-ROM. Entrants must include their name, address, phone number, e-mail, and the medium and title for their illustration written on the disc. This disc must be received no later than May 31, 2009 to Joseph M. Murphy at 407 West Lewis Street, Canastota, New York 13032. No original artwork should be submitted. All submitted discs will not be returned, unless otherwise denoted and enclosed with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Winning artists will retain ownership of their original work and share unlimited reproduction rights with the Madison County Public Health Department by signing a Letter of Agreement with the Department. Each selected artists' name and contact information will be denoted on all posters and materials containing their work. There will be no financial compensation from this project. Artists will have the ability to sell their work at their own discretion to the public through outside transactions separate from the involvement of the Health Department. For any questions, please contact Joseph Murphy via e-mail at jmmurphyillustrator@yahoo.com or phone at (315) 447-5830.
This project is made possible with funds from the DECentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Stanley Center for the Arts. For additional information on the Madison County MAPP Committee and its project, call Eric Faisst at (315) 366-2361 or visit the Health Department's website at www.healthymadisoncounty.org, which includes the complete Vision Statement for a Healthy Madison County.
