'Through My Eyes' art contest now under way

Apr 24, 2023

The second Through My Eyes: A Journey into the Heart of Temple art contest kicks off this week and the deadline for submitting entries is July 25. Last year’s inaugural contest concluded with a Downtown photo exhibit. David Stone photo

DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE

According to Jeff Stegall, life is an art show and people are the exhibits.

That’s the message behind Through My Eyes: A Journey into the Heart of Temple, an art contest that ends July 15. An exhibit will follow this summer.

“Every day I see beautiful art exhibits come through our door,” said Stegall, executive director of Feed my Sheep. “Not everyone gets to see this. I want local artists to focus on people and tell their stories.”

“We are asking the artists of Temple — and we believe everyone is an artist — to be part of this project. Anyone can contribute.”

Stegall called the art project “more than a photo exhibit.”

“All mediums will be accepted — paintings, sculptures, poems, photos — as long as the piece focuses on a person in the Temple/Belton area and it reflects their true beauty and worth.”

Stegall said the purpose of the art project is to raise awareness of “all the incredibly diverse people who make up our city.”

“We believe our most important treasure is our people, and we would like to showcase their beauty for the whole world to see.”

Every piece of art submitted should include a short narrative about why the artist chose their subject and what they find beautiful about the person being highlighted.

“We want to know what they hope people feel when they experience the artwork,” Stegall said.

To submit digital works of art, send entries to Jeff@FeedMySheepTemple.org. Pieces that need to be dropped off — such as photo prints, paintings or sculptures — can be taken to the Feed My Sheep Resource Center at 116 W. Ave. G between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“There will be a voting process by the community to determine the top five pieces of art,” Stegall said. “But the contest is secondary. Awareness is our priority.”

Spellabration winners

The Spellabration held on April 15 consisted of ten teams of spellers from various organizations and businesses in the Temple area. Shirley Gaines and David Thomas (pictured), representing Grace Presbyterian Church, won first place in the event. Second place went to Jennifer Lewis and Patrick Reagan from Texas Benefit Alliance and Kay and Dave Smith from Hope Pregnancy Center took third place.

The event was sponsored by the Temple Literacy Council.

Temple Literacy Council is seeking new students who are adults (18 and over) and need help with basic reading and writing and/or English as a Second Language (ESL). Students meet once or twice a week with trained literacy tutors on a one-on-one basis or sometimes in a small group setting. Students and tutors usually meet in study rooms in the Literacy Council office on the third floor of the Temple Public Library.

For additional information,call (254) 774-7323 or email templeliteracy@juno.com.