Children draw their ‘dream homes’

During this holiday season, a popular song by Kenny Loggins, "Celebrate Me Home," is broadcast on many radio stations. During the past year, students in the Clark County School District from grades kindergarten to fifth had the opportunity to celebrate their home by entering artwork depicting their house in the 13th Annual Where I Live art contest.

Sponsored in part by the Nevada Housing Division, the Clark County School District's School-Community Partnership Program, the Las Vegas Review-Journal real estate section, Pardee Homes, The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and Countrywide, judging was held Oct. 27 in the office of the housing division.

Out of the 158 pieces to be shown in a Jan. 14 exhibit at The Venetian, the judges selected 13 as the best works of art with a first, second, third place and a judges' choice for reproduction in the annual calendar. The Judges' Choice winner will be presented on the cover.

The first-place winner is Bryan Yuen, 10, a fifth grader at David M. Cox Elementary School in Henderson. His drawing is not of his home today but "from my brain. This is the kind of house I would like to live in one day."

Yuen's picture included a mechanical shop in the garage. "I drew the garage that way so the car can be fixed at home if there is any damage to the car." He also added a sun panel for green energy and flowers in the window for combining nature with building. Yuen, who drew in pencil and markers, hopes to make art his career choice.

His art teacher, Edee Sands, has taught art in public schools for eight years and said, "I am so excited and elated for Bryan. He works hard and he deserves it. He is perfect for a career in the arts. He is diligent, studious and the passion is there. He did an outstanding job."

The second-place winner is Nicole Figueroa, 10, a fifth grader at Jo Mackey Elementary School in North Las Vegas. Her picture, done in colored pencil and glitter, depicted her grandmother's house in the 1960s. Drawn from a photograph, Figueroa's picture showed the living room with her grandmother as a young girl and her great-uncle. She used musical notes in the window, "to show my grandmother singing and all of the people outside singing." The house was in the Philippines and Figueroa has visited the home on several occasions.

Figueroa has had the same art teacher, Sharon McClinton, since the first grade. McClinton has been teaching at Jo Mackey for four years and teaches the art program from kindergarten to fifth grade. "They are my wonderful, fantastic artists. I am truly blessed to be able to teach and watch these students blossom in the art room. They are extremely talented."

Third-place winner Michael Ni, 10, is a fifth grader at The Meadows School in Summerlin. His mother, Lei Ni, is a well-known actress in China and his father is a scientist. Along with his art, Ni is also an accomplished pianist. His picture, done in pastels and colored pencils, reflects his Chinese heritage using the color red which symbolizes good luck.

"Each year, my mom, dad and I go to China and see ancient buildings. I thought of those buildings and decided to draw one of those ancient buildings. This isn't my house but this is similar to houses in China. I drew a willow tree and used orange, brown, gold and red on the ground to make the picture more colorful and brighter," Ni said. "I drew in dragons in my picture because they are supposed to bring in good fortune and scare away evil spirits."

Judges' Choice winner, Jullissa Monroy, 9, a fourth grader at Walker Elementary School in Henderson, worked with the art teacher, Gail Trower-Coll, of Sunrise Acres Elementary School downtown. She used colored pencils and markers to create her picture of the state of Nevada. "I used purple and yellow because I know they are opposite colors and will stand out more. Same is true for red and green and blue and orange."

A Jan. 14. free exhibit opens to the public at 4 p.m. and will remain on display until 8 p.m. The cocktail reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and the awards presentation will begin at 7 p.m.

The art contest held its first exhibition in the Sawyer Building in 1996.

"The reason this contest was developed was from a combination of the love of art, education and community. It seemed like a very positive step for the Housing Division and the real estate section of the Review Journal to start this contest as a stepping stone for our future generations to have fun and in a challenging way to think about 'Where I Live,' the kind of house they and their family lived in, their neighborhood, the community in general. It also opened the students' eyes to the total community and some learning and understanding more about the significance of drawing and the world around them," said Jean Norton with the state Housing Division and coordinator of the project.

The calendars showcasing the children's artwork are free and can be obtained by calling 486-7220 or by e-mailing lvpr@nvhousing.state.nv.us. Supplies are limited to two per household, according to Norton.