Clothing line in boutiqe dons 9-year-old's artwork, raises awareness

by Kristina Serafina from Trib Live:

Tana and Jim Ford might not have learned about their son's special talent, had it not been for a school project.

Mack, who has Down syndrome, was in first grade two years ago in the South Fayette Township School District when he and classmates were asked to create self-portraits to be put on tiles and used in the district's new intermediate school.

“When Mack did his, they were just in awe,” Tana Ford said.

His art teacher sent home a note about his self-portrait and its amazing detail — spiky brown hair, large brown eyes and somewhat intricate ears.

Mack, now 9, spends at least an hour almost every day on his art. His drawings are featured on shirts that his mother sells in her Tana's Boutique in Sewickley.

Tana Ford said her son started with black marker drawings on white paper, and has evolved into abstract works of vibrant color on canvas. Many are what you'd expect from a young child, but about two out of every 50 are really special, she said.

“All of the sudden, you'd look at something and are like, ‘This is really cool. There's just something about it,'” she said.

The first three drawings that caught the attention of Mack's parents were ones he named “Scream,” “Mom” (a portrait of his interpretation of his mother) and his favorite, “Icky Bird.” All three are drawn in one continuous motion in black marker.

Opportunity for writers and aritists with Down syndrome

Calling All Creative Teens and Adults
with Down Syndrome!

  

Many writers and artists with Down syndrome are incredibly talented! But most of them don’t get the recognition they deserve. That’s why Woodbine House is holding a contest for creative teens and adults with Down syndrome. We plan to publish the winning entries in a high quality, full-color book showcasing the artistic and literary gifts of people with Down syndrome. If you’re interested in entering the contest, read on:

Who can enter?

Entrants must satisfy all three criteria:

1. Have a diagnosis of Down syndrome (trisomy 21 or mosaic Down syndrome)
2. Be a resident of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico
3. Be at least 12 years old at time of submission

What to submit:

• Photos or scans of your paintings, drawings, cartoons, collages
• Photos of your sculptures, pottery, ceramics, mosaics
• Photos of your weaving, embroidery, or other fabric art
• Short stories (fiction) (750 words maximum)
• Poetry (750 words maximum)
• Song lyrics (750 words maximum)

Each contestant may submit a maximum of 3 entries in any combination of these genres. For example, 1 painting, 1 story, and 1 poem OR 3 paintings OR 3 poems.
Please do not send anything not listed above. In particular, do not send nonfiction (e.g., autobiographies), scripts, photographs, films, music, or anything made with a kit.

How to enter:
Via email (preferred)

1. For visual art:

• Remove artwork from frame, if possible.
• Make a good quality scan or take a high resolution, close-up photo (at least 300 dpi) of your creation. Photograph your art against a solid-color, non-reflective background, if possible. You may get the best result by photographing it outdoors, in natural lighting.
• If your work is 3-dimensional (ceramics, sculpture, etc.) feel free to take 3-5 photos from different angles.
• VERY IMPORTANT! Name the file with your last name and title of the work. For example: Smith_Flowers_in_June or Jones_PlanesTrainsBoats

  For creative writing:

• Type your submission on a computer.
• Save it as a Word or plain text file.

2. Fill out both Part 1 and Part 2 of the entry forms. Download either format below, fill in, and email to submit your entry. Microsoft Word Forms--If you have Microsoft Word on your computer, you can click on the links below to open the files in Word, fill out the forms, save them to your computer, and attach the filled-out forms to an email with your creative submission.
   

   • Form 1 (Microsoft Word version)
   • Form 2 (Microsoft Word version)

   PDF Forms--Click on links below to open forms in Adobe Acrobat. You will need to print these out, fill in by hand, scan the completed forms, and attach these scanned filled-out forms to an email with your creative submission. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer you can download it for free from here.
   

   • Form 1 (PDF version)
   • Form 2 (PDF version)

3. Attach the following to an email:

a) the digital file for your artwork or literary work;
b) the scanned-in entry forms or saved Word files of the forms (Parts 1 and 2);
c) a digital photo of yourself.

   Please ATTACH these items to the email rather than embedding in the body of the email.

4. Address your email to DScontest@woodbinehouse.com. In the subject line, put DS Contest Entry. In the body of the email, type the title of your creation and your name. Send it!

Via mail

1. If you do not have access to email or a scanner, you may mail your entry to:

Down Syndrome Contest
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road
Bethesda, MD 20817.

2. Enclose a) a print-out of your writing OR a scan/photo of your artwork printed on good quality paper OR a scan/photo of your art saved to CD; b) Parts 1 and 2 of the entry form (download forms from Step 2 above and fill in); c) a photo of yourself (digital photo saved to CD or print). Do NOT send original artwork under any circumstance! No artwork will be returned!

What NOT to do: 

• Do NOT send us your original artwork! It will not be returned, and it may be lost or damaged in the mail. Woodbine House assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited artwork.
• Do NOT send us your only copy of a story, poem, or other creative writing. It will not be returned, and it may be lost or damaged in the mail. Woodbine House assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to original copies of creative writing.
• Do not send artwork that incorporates copyrighted or trademarked images created by others (e.g, Buzz Lightyear; Coca Cola).
• Do not photoshop the image of your work.
• Please do not call us or write us to check whether we have received your entry or whether you are a winner. We will contact you to let you know if you are a winner. If you are a winner, we may ask you for more information or to send us your original art.
• Please do not fax entries or entry forms to us. Either email or mail them to us, as described above.

Selection criteria and prizes:

• Winning entries will be selected on the basis of creativity, originality, artistic merit, and overall impression.
• Woodbine House hopes to select about 100 winning entries. Each winner will receive one copy of the published book and $25 for each winning entry selected (up to a maximum of 3 books and $75). Woodbine House reserves the right not to publish a book if insufficient entries satisfying the selection criteria are received.

Please note: inclusion of your work in our book will not in any way prevent you from selling, distributing, or exhibiting your work elsewhere. You will retain the copyright to your work.

Deadline to enter: January 31, 2012. Winners will be notified by March 1, 2012.

from Woodbine House: