Armed with paint, blank canvases and zero advance notice of the theme, about 200 high school students from 36 Nebraska schools will take over part of the Hastings College campus Wednesday, Sept. 30, for the annual Jackson Dinsdale Art Center (JDAC) Mural Day Competition.
The competition challenges teams of up to six students per school to create large-scale, 36-by-60-inch vinyl murals from scratch in just a few hours. The creative theme for the competition is revealed moments before the clock starts at 10:30 a.m., testing the teams’ creativity, collaboration and ability to think on their feet under a tight deadline.
Due to forecasted rain, the event is moving indoors this year, with the floor of Kiewit Gymnasium serving as an art studio for the day to give 36 high school teams a high-energy space to paint and bring their visions to life.
Murals will be judged by Hastings College senior art majors, with awards presented to the top three teams. After the competition, teams are allowed to take their murals to hang in their high schools.
The event is highly visual and open to the media.
What: Hastings College Mural Competition
When: Wednesday, September 30
Time: 10:00 am-3:30 p.m.
Painting is 10:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
The best time for photos/video/interviews is noon to 2:00 p.m.
Awards are at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Kiewit Gymnasium, 715 E. 7th Street, Hastings, Nebraska
Why: About 200 students from 36 high schools will compete in a mural painting competition
Participating high schools include:
- Adams Central High School
- Arapahoe-Holbrook High School
- Beatrice High School
- Blue Hill Schools
- Boone Central
- Centura High School
- Crete High School
- Doniphan-Trumbull High School
- Elm Creek Public Schools
- Gibbon High School
- Grand Island Lutheran
- Grand Island Senior High
- Hampton High School
- Hastings High School
- Hastings St. Cecilia High School
- Heartland Community Schools
- Kearney High School
- Kenesaw Public Schools
- Lawrence-Nelson Schools
- McCook Senior High School
- Northwest High School
- O’Neill Public Schools
- Omaha Burke High School
- Osceola High School
- Palmer High School
- Ravenna High School
- Red Cloud High School
- Riverside Public Schools
- Sandy Creek Public Schools
- Silver Lake High School
- Southern Valley High School
- St. Paul High School
- Superior High School
- Thayer Central High School
- Valentine High School
- Waverly High School
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Founded in 1882, the College is dedicated to student success and service to the community. Discover more at hastings.edu.