By Diedra Eby
Winning Faces! Left to right: Catherine Oda, Joshua Ball, Maddison Archuleta, Joan Metz. Photo Courtesy Professor Shelley.
The annual Art 24 Competition gave out $1,000 in prizes to three multidisciplinary artworks created in 24 hours. Held at the West Campus for the third year, Pima Community College hosted this unusual art competition in which students form into groups to compete for one $800 prize and two $100 prizes.
Students formed groups of three or more and used at least three of seven art mediums: music, fashion design, creative writing, digital arts, visual arts, theater and dance. They were given a theme, “intimacy,” four prompts, all of which had to be used in the art work, and 24 hours starting on the evening of Thursday, March 26, to complete “an interdisciplinary work of art.” Presentations were made in the Recital Hall on Friday evening.
Emotional Troll Support Group presented a troll dating app skit that involved intricately sculpted troll heads and swiping left to win one of the honorable mentions and $100. The second honorable mention and $100 prize went to 4our Troll Club for their presentation.
Notably presented by faculty group “Maxwell House” was a paper doll troll visual arts album that presented a quick and quirky brief history of syphilis, its symptoms, effects and cure.
Prompt one and two. Photo Courtesy Diedra Eby.
The Grand Prize Winner with a multi-media, point and click adventure game called “This One’s For You” came from Joan Metz (Digital Arts), Joshua Ball (Game Design Program), Maddison Archuleta (Graphic Design UI/UX) and Catherine Oda (Digital Arts). The group called themselves “Hunter Gatherers.”
Professor Shelly encouraged Bell and Archuleta to participate when the competition was first announced back in January. While the group said they worked well together during the whole experience, they did have some setbacks.
Metz had to have surgery mid-competition and did not have a chance to see the game in its entirety until the actual presentation. She had not heard the completed song, composed and sung by Oda, until that night and she burst into tears (after having gone 24 hours without sleep) when it played over the credits.
Opening Page “This One’s For You” Game. Photo Courtesy Professor Shelley.
The game was based on the death of an imaginary friend (Spoons the worm) and the divorce of parents. During the game, the player has to choose what to take and what to leave from the many items in each room. It’s a simple game and the simplicity is what helps make it such a winner. During the presentation, Metz and Archuleta voiced the characters and involved the audience in the choices as they played the game.
Metz is donating her winnings to Casa Maria soup kitchen in lieu of the hours she normally volunteers as this semester’s class hours have kept her from donating her time.
The competition will be held again next year with anticipation to add an awards ceremony and the inclusion of a plaque or a certificate in recognition of the winners.
“This One’s For You” game page. Photo Courtesy Professor Shelley.