Poster Design

Each year, one local artist is selected to design the official Art Beat poster—featured on all event marketing including t-shirts, flyers, programs, and billboards. The winner receives a $250 prize and valuable public recognition. Open to artists of all ages and skill levels, this contest is a chance to creatively capture the spirit of Art Beat and showcase your work to thousands.

Artist Statement

I have come to value the purpose of art as a means of universal understanding. One of the unique traits of humans is our ability to seek meaning— in our surroundings, our emotions, our relationships with each other, etc.— when words become insufficient, art conveys these meanings to each other. Whether through performing, visual, culinary, or any other type of the arts, humans are able to communicate intricate concepts for the purpose of understanding more about the world we live in. To me, that makes our communities so much more intricate and valuable. When designing the Art Beat poster, I used a variety of shapes and colors to symbolize the diversity of artistry, with people of all backgrounds included in order to explain how despite being diverse, we can unite through the universal language of art.

Artist Bio

As a child, Jeanne wasn’t exactly a natural-born artist. Crayons would often snap in her hands while she drew outside the lines, her papers would tear when she decided to erase the whole picture and start over, and she always pressed her markers too hard onto the paper, making them bleed through to the other side accidentally.

Even as a high schooler, her methods were imperfect. She would be seen holding her pencil the “wrong way” (as described by her classmates) and her hands would often get tremors, making her sketches jagged and occasionally swerving off the page.

However, Jeanne had a keen eye for opportunities. She kept whatever she could salvage for future projects. For example, once, when painting with watercolors, Jeanne had saved the scraps of paper used to test the paints to be included in a future art piece or collage. In addition, when one of her bracelets snapped, she collected and stored the beads to create a keychain with miniature clay charms she hand-sculpted and painted.

Despite having a lawless style when it came to art, Jeanne excelled in her creativity. She developed the skill of seeing potential in anything in front of her, allowing her to branch off from the standardized art process and producing unique results, making the journey of an artist a personal experience to her.

Jeanne has received medals of excellence in graphic design, and her artworks have been publicly displayed in local art museums and libraries. She has also been an active performer in her high school’s theatre productions.

Art Beat 2025 Poster Design Contest

CONTEST DETAILS

Art Beat is a one day celebration of the performing, visual, and culinary arts, located right in the heart of downtown South Bend. Each year, a new commemorative poster is designed for this event, and that design is featured on all of the event’s marketing materials – posters, flyers, t-shirts, programs, billboards, etc.

This year, a design contest is being held for the commemorative poster. The winner will receive $250 and more importantly, their name will appear on all of the marketing materials mentioned above. This is a great way to gain recognition and attention. Plus – how exciting would it be to see your artwork up on a billboard or on t-shirts?

ENTRY GUIDELINES

The contest is open to artists of any age – students through adult – and any skill level. This includes Art Beat artists, and Art Beat Committee members – as the Art Beat Committee is comprised of many Art Beat artists, and their volunteer work for this event does not prohibit them from taking part in all opportunities available to other local artists.
Entries must contain original artwork.

The artwork needs to be created in a vertical design, in the following size: 18″ x 24″.

Entries should not contain any words, dates, etc. (including the words “Art Beat”). This content is added by our designer later.

Entries can be submitted electronically (preferred) or original artwork can be dropped off to the DTSB offices (217 S. Michigan St., in the same building as The Pigeon & The Hen Pottery). Original artwork can be picked up once the judging is completed.

Entries which do not meet this criteria will be sent back with an invitation to resubmit work that does fit the criteria and can be delivered by the deadline.

HOW TO ENTER

Fill out the form below, and attach up to 3 designs for consideration. The deadline for submissions is April 15.

JUDGING

We are seeking a design capturing the spirit of this annual event, and celebrates the various forms of the arts.
Past commemorative posters are included below for reference. Many have featured a representation of visual, culinary, and performance arts in their design. You are welcome to do that, but it is not a requirement. When referencing past posters below, please keep in mind Art Beat details such as website and date should NOT be a part of the design. These were added later by a graphic designer.
The deadline for submissions is April 15. The winner will be selected by a committee comprised of all Art Beat committee members, DTSB staff and volunteers and announced on or before May 1. All entries will be judged using the same criteria: creativity, composition, theme, technique, and adherence to the rules. Please keep all entry guidelines in mind when creating your artwork.

CONTACT

Email any questions, concerns, or suggestions to ArtBeatDTSB@gmail.com.

LEGAL NOTES

Those making submissions agree that Art Beat/Downtown South Bend retains all copyrights of the materials submitted. By submitting to the contest, the designer agrees to grant Art Beat/Downtown South Bend the right to publish, reproduce, diffuse, and communicate to the public in any form and platform, including digital, all or part of the design.