Student Marine Art Exhibit in April at Cape Cod National Seashore

Date: March 27, 2014
Contact: Sue Haley, 508-255-3421

A display of winners from the 2013 Marine Art Contest sponsored by Massachusetts Marine Educators will be on display at Cape Cod National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitor Center from April 1 until April 28. The artwork, created by students from schools across Massachusetts, captures some of the diversity of species found in nearby Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS). The show includes winners and honorable mention recipients from all five contest categories – high school, middle school, elementary school, scientific illustration (all grades), and computer graphics (all grades). Several students from the Cape and Islands are represented in the exhibit, including Provincetown elementary, Lighthouse Charter School, and Nauset High School.

The 2014 Marine Art contest is now underway with a deadline of May 2, 2014. Rules for the contest can be found at the MME website at www.massmarineeducators.org or the Stellwagen Bank sanctuary website, http://stellwagen.noaa.gov. Winning artwork from the past few years can also be viewed at the sanctuary website.

The annual Marine Art contest is a program of the Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME), a nonprofit grass-roots organization of teachers, informal educators, students, educational institutions, and others dedicated to the goals of developing a marine literate society and promoting awareness of the ocean world by integrating marine studies into existing curricula. The contest theme is "Amazing Ocean Creatures of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary."

"The contest is an exciting way of encouraging interdisciplinary education by integrating marine science with art," said Anne Smrcina, contest director." Through this creative effort, students learn more about some of the local marine life found in their own ocean backyard." Co-sponsors for the annual art contest include SBNMS, New England Aquarium, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, and Stellwagen Alive, Friends of the National Marine Sanctuary.The traveling art exhibit is sponsored by the sanctuary and MME.

For more information on the art contest, contact Anne Smrcina, Education Coordinator at SBNMS, 781 545-8026 x204

IF YOU GO: Salt Pond Visitor Center is located at the intersection of Route 6 and Nauset Road in Eastham, and can be contacted by calling 508-255-3421. The center is open from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and staff is available to assist with activity planning. Stop by and visit the museum, view a park film, enjoy panoramic views of Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh, and shop in the gift and book store featuring national seashore related items. For more information about the seashore's programs, visit the park website atwww.nps.gov/caco. 

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