Winning design selected for 2018 Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival poster contest

For Immediate Release: Monday, March 12, 2018

Entry of Richard Montgomery High School freshman Chris Ma chosen to illustrate themes for the September event highlighting the arts and diverse cultures in Wheaton

The entry of Chris Ma, a freshman at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, was selected as the winning design in the annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival poster competition. His design will be used to publicize the 2018 event scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 23, in Downtown Wheaton.  Ma’s design, which captures the parade theme, "Parade the Triangle," also will be used on programs, banners, t-shirts and other promotional materials.

As a winner of the contest, which was open to students of all ages in Montgomery County, Ma was awarded the $300 first prize. His design was selected from among 40 entries by a committee of local artists affiliated with the Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival. After his entry was selected, Ma worked with professional designer Laura-Leigh Palmer of ASAP Graphics to refine it for use on the varied promotional materials for the parade and festival. The "Parade the Triangle" theme centers on how the parade and festival bring the community together to celebrate Wheaton’s local artists, diverse cultures and designation as a Maryland Arts and Entertainment District.

The winning design can be viewed at  https://www.wheatonartsparade.com/news.

“I tried to capture the vivid and diverse art and culture of Wheaton and I hope this poster will lure people of all ages to come celebrate and enjoy the parade and festival," said Ma.

The $300 prize was donated by the IHOP Wheaton, owned and operated by William Moore. Moore also is a member of the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee, which initiated the event.

"IHOP Wheaton is proud to support the Wheaton Arts Parade and to have sponsored the poster contest,” said Moore. “It is gratifying to see such talent and vision in the young people we will rely on so much in the years ahead."

Wheaton is one of three Maryland Arts and Entertainment Districts in Montgomery County, but unlike Bethesda and Silver Spring, it lacks studio, gallery and performance venues. Organizers of the Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival hope the annual display of local artistic talent will encourage county officials to include a cultural arts center in county plans for the revitalization of Downtown Wheaton.

At the 2017 parade and festival, more than 50 artists, art groups, community organizations and businesses paraded on Georgia Avenue to the festival site located near Wheaton Veterans Urban Park. The festival included more than 35 artists and arts organizations displaying and selling their work in a tented exhibition area.  In addition, community organizations and government departments promoted their art-related programs. Throughout the festival, there were two stages of continuous entertainment including music, dance and readings. The festival also had a film tent with local films and panel discussions with the filmmakers. A food court offered food and beverages from some of Wheaton’s favorite restaurants.

The 2018 parade and arts festival will take place on Sunday, September 23, with the parade starting at 10 a.m. and the festival running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Westfield Wheaton Mall and numerous local businesses and community organizations.

Information about the parade can be found in English and Spanish at http://www.wheatonartsparade.org.

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Release ID: 18-474
Media Contact: Dan Thompson 301-949-3727