About two months ago, the city of Manhattan Beach presented its residents with a fun challenge: to show-not-tell their love for the city.
The city-sponsored art contest — officially known as “Why I Heart MB” — drew a total of 73 artworks on various mediums by 34 local artists of all ages.
“We received a little bit more [submissions] than we expected, [given that] artists had just two months to prepare,” said Megumi Moisen, the city’s cultural arts supervisor.
The “Why I Heart MB” exhibit, which will kick off with a reception at City Hall Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m, will be open at City Hall until the end of January. Due to limited wall space, it will only display 13 of the artworks, but all the submissions are viewable on an online exhibition, Moisen said.
At the reception, the city will also announce and award the first, second and third place winners as well as three honorable mentions.
Two local professional artists, Mary Ann Collins and Don Spencer, judged the artworks based on four criteria: creativity and imagination, theme relevance, artistic execution and overall impression, Moisen said.
Moisen said she was pleased by the wide range of participants, from 5-year-olds to seniors, as well as the variety in types of artwork, which included watercolor paintings, collages and sculptures.
Participants were required to either reside in Manhattan Beach, attend school in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District or be enrolled in a Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation art class.
