This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mizzou chapter.
Molly Jeanne Lovewell has always been interested in art and has pursued her inner creativity. After being deemed the Mizzou Black History Poster Competition winner, Lovewell hopes to continue Black History Month awareness and her own artistic mind through upcoming competitions.
Her Campus Mizzou: Could you briefly describe what the Mizzou Black History Poster Competition is exactly?
Molly Jeanne Lovewell: It was a brand new contest this year to allow any Mizzou student to be able to take part in a professional design experience. The winning design was chosen by a panel of judges, published, and distributed to over 2,000 schools in Missouri. It was supposed to reflect diversity at Mizzou, and of course Black History Month.
HCM: How did you become involved in this Poster Competition?
MJL: It was actually a homework assignment for my illustration class, and I kind of forgot it wasn’t just an assignment but also an opportunity to become a published artist and start building my career. So when I received the call, I was completely taken off guard.
HCM: About how many contestants were you placed up against in the competition?
MJL: I’m not really sure, but my entire class entered, and two other artists in my class were also chosen as the first and second runner up, so I would estimate a minimum of about 18-20.
HCM: What inspired you when creating this poster?
MJL: I really wanted to make a piece with vibrant colors to grab the viewers’ attention while walking down a hallway as well as representing diversity, Mizzou, and Black History Month. However, I chose the text at the bottom of the poster to help reach out to all students at Mizzou from different cultures, and not just African Americans because at Mizzou, it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like, we are all Missouri Tigers.
HCM: Have you always been interested in art? If so, what sparked your interest?
MJL: I’ve always been creative and crafty, but I didn’t take my first art class until sophomore year. So once I learned some of the fundamentals of how to draw, I kept practicing and noticed tremendous improvement and my passion continued as I practice more and more, so much that I knew I wouldn’t be happy studying anything else.
HCM: Do you think that the Mizzou Black History Poster Competition improved the number of participants in Black History Month?
MJL: Definitely. I was invited to attend Mizzou’s 2014 MLK, Jr. celebration and lecture which was given by CSI: NY’s Hill Harper, which was held at the Missouri Theatre. Even though it was a free event and open to the public, every ticket was claimed days before the event. It was a great representation of people and definitely improved the number of participants.
HCM: How do you plan to continue awareness about Black History Month?
MJL: I would love to continue to find contests or opportunities to pursue awareness through my art and encourage more students to enter next years contest.