Travelers: One Read Art Exhibit Call for Submissions

June 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Travelers
A One Read Art Exhibit
Orr Street Studios (106 Orr Street, Columbia)

black and white photo of weather vane“Bleary-eyed, they find places to pull off the road and rest. In Walmart parking lots. On quiet suburban streets. At truck stops, amid the lullaby of idling engines. Then in the early morning hours—before anyone notices—they’re back on the highway. Driving on, they’re secure in this knowledge: The last free place in America is a parking spot.”
~ Jessica Bruder, “Nomadland”

Inspired by the 2019 One Read book’s examination of this century’s new migrant workers, we invite mid-Missouri artists ages 16 and older to contribute works reflecting any expression of travel or travelers, be they in nature, on the highways or in the imagination. Evoke passage, relocation or journey.

Cash prizes will be awarded for three winners, courtesy of Columbia’s Office of Cultural Affairs. The third place winner will receive $50, the second place winner $75 and the first place winner $125. First place will also receive a one-year membership to the Columbia Art League.

Art will be displayed September 1 through September 28 at Orr Studios with a reception, awards and program on Friday, September 6 at 6:00 p.m.

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Mini Mystery Writing Contest

July 23, 2018 6d Comments

“The perennial questions in the Osage land is, ‘who will be next?'”
-Daily Oklahoman reporter, quoted in “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann

Photo of William Hale

Many members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma lived in constant fear for their lives. They lost many friends and family to murders that were seldom solved or fairly investigated. Taking inspiration from this history as presented in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” we invite you to use the line, “Who will be next?” as a springboard for — and the first sentence of — a mini mystery story of your own. While the experiences of those in our One Read book were very real, your mystery can be completely fiction. The puzzle presented or the crime solved can be large (like a murder) or small (like missing possessions), but the writing must be about a crime or the threat or fear of one. The length limit for these mini mysteries is 250 words.

Enter starting August 31 using this form. You can also mail in your entry or drop it off at any library or bookmobile stop. (See full rules below for details.) Winning entries and honorable mentions will be published on this site and in the Columbia Missourian. Winners will receive a $25 bookstore gift card.

Participants must be age 16 or older and residents of Boone or Callaway Counties. Read on for complete contest rules.

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Beneath the Surface: One Read Art Exhibit Call for Submissions

June 12, 2018 2d Comments

Beneath the Surface
A One Read Art Exhibit
Orr Street Studios (106 Orr Street, Columbia)

“In May, when coyotes howl beneath an unnervingly large moon, taller plants, such as spiderworts and black-eyed Susans, begin to creep over the tinier blooms, stealing their light and water. The necks of the smaller flowers break and their petals flutter away, and before long they are buried underground.”
~ David Grann, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

 

Hidden: woman out of focus

Inspired by the 2018 One Read selection’s many-layered mysteries, we invite Mid-Missouri artists ages 16 and older to contribute works that explore what lies beneath the surface — of land, of water, the mask of a loved-one’s face or a well-worn story. Expose something hidden.

Cash prizes will be awarded for three winners, courtesy of Columbia’s Office of Cultural Affairs. The third place winner will receive $50, the second place winner $75 and the first place winner $125. First place will also receive a one-year membership to the Columbia Art League.

Art will be displayed August 29 – September 29 at Orr Street Studios (see orrstreetstudios.com for hours) with a reception and awards on Friday, September 7 at 6 p.m.

Submission Details Read More →

Flash Fiction: Haunted

August 14, 2017 2d Comments

Update: Thank you for all of your entries! We’ll be announcing our winners here on October 18.

 

Mystical Beech Wood Tree

“Humans haunt more houses than ghosts do.”
-Angela Flournoy, “The Turner House”

 

In this year’s One Read selection, the characters are haunted by a variety of issues. Francis Turner moved from Arkansas to Detroit to start fresh and escape his past, while, years later, his son Cha-Cha is haunted by a “haint.”

Taking inspiration from “The Turner House,” we invite you to tell a story about a haunting in 250 words or less. It could be about a haunting by a ghost, the haunting consequences of a past decision or some other type of haunting entirely — the choice is yours!

Enter September 1-26 using this form. You can also mail in your entry or drop it off at any library or bookmobile stop. (See full rules below for details.) Winning entries and honorable mentions will be published on this site and in the Columbia Missourian. Winners will receive a $25 book store gift card.

Participants must be age 16 or older and residents of Boone or Callaway Counties. Read on for complete contest rules.

 

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Shelter: One Read Art Exhibit Call for Submissions

June 8, 2017 Leave a comment

Shelter
A One Read Art Exhibit
Orr Street Studios (106 Orr Street, Columbia)Photo of robin's eggs in nest

“The newly arrived spring – the spots of color, the surprise of birdsong – gave the neighborhood a tumbledown, romantic quality. It reassured Lelah that the ghetto could still hold beauty, and that streets with this much new life could still have good in them.”
~ Angela Flournoy, “The Turner House”

 

Inspired by this year’s One Read selection, we invite Mid-Missouri artists ages 16 and older to contribute works that explore shelter or dwellings of any kind – homes, neighborhoods, families or places that give people or animals refuge.

Cash prizes will be awarded for three winners, courtesy of Columbia’s Office of Cultural Affairs. The third place winner will receive $50, the second place winner $75 and the first place winner $125. First place will also receive a one-year membership to the Columbia Art League. Art will be displayed August 27 through September 22 at Orr Studios with a reception, awards and program on Friday, September 1 at 6 p.m.

Submission Details Read More →