Celebrating wildlife artist, Maynard Reece & Iowa Fish
“We really had a good time
doing the contest. It brought in a lot of good discussion and even the teacher
aides were surprised at some of the facts I shared from the DNR website. The
kids loved it.”
The Department of Natural Resources invites you to enroll
your class in our fourth annual “Take It Outside” Art
Contest.
This year’s contest will celebrate the great contributions of
wildlife artist, Maynard Reece. Reece is considered one of the founding fathers
of wildlife art. As a child, he spent many hours exploring Lake Okoboji. His
teachers discovered his artistic ability at the age of 13 and entered one of
his drawings in the Iowa State Fair. As a young adult, Maynard worked at what
is today known as the State Historical Museum collecting specimens for the
museum’s collection and painting fish to create the plates for the original
publishing of Iowa Fish and Fishing – this was instrumental in launching his
career as a freelance artist. Reece’s fish drawings can be viewed on the DNR website.
Students are encouraged to use their artistic skills to create an
image of their favorite Iowa fish (see the eligible fish list in the complete
contest rules) in its natural habitat. Fish species fact sheets are
available on the DNR
Education website (click on Fact Sheets/Fish in the Document Library).
Starting next month, check out our Take It Outside: Fish Iowa!
blog for more information about Iowa fish and Maynard Reece.
New This Year!
We are partnering with the Wildlife
Forever® State-Fish Art® Contest to host an Iowa State-Fish Contest in conjunction
with our annual Take It Outside Art Contest. The first place
artwork in each judging category will be submitted for National
Awards. First place winners at the state level will be honored at
the annual State-Fish Art Expo this summer.
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