ART COUNTS

My mom has been a high school art teacher for over thirty years. She is the most dedicated and passionate teacher I know (and no, i'm not that biases). She often spends an absurd amount of time after school in her classroom prepping a giant still-life, grading/leaving comments on pieces, and planning out the next project for her kids. So when someone who cares so much about what they do has to see the funding for it getting cut every year it totally takes a toll. I can't count the number of times i've heard her despair over the cutbacks that happen every time the school budget gets voted on. For some reason Americans have decided that the arts and drama departments in grade schools are totally expendable. Well, they fucking aren't.

When I received an email today from Taylor, high school student in Louisville, Kentucky, asking if I'd do a little PR for her school's submission to the Vans "Custom Culture" Contest I of course jumped on it. The competition is sponsored by Vans and is a shoe customization contest in which the winning school gets $50,000 for their art department! Since Taylor's art department's funding was recently slashed he realized that it's basically up to the students to get proactive!!

Taylor's school (Eastern) has made it to the Top 50 round and needs to beat out the other 9 schools in the Southeast Finalists category to go on to the next level. PLEASE take a minute or two to vote for Eastern's submission. . . They are in the column all the way to the right (Southeast Finalists category) and are the second set of shoes down. They are NECK and NECK with another school so let's do this!!! The voting for this round ends at midnight Monday, May 2.

Obviously take a gander at the other shoes they're up against. . . but i know you'll realize Eastern's submissions are the coolest.

VOTE HERE FOR EASTERN HIGHSCHOOL (Louisville, KY)

*Eastern's submissions are pictured below. Taylor and her twin sister designed the pair in the upper right hand corner!