Museum Seeks Entries for Logo Design

The African American Museum of Fine Arts has issued a call for entries in its design contest to create a logo for the museum.

The contest is open to high school juniors and seniors and college students, spokeswoman Pat Payne said. The deadline for entries is May 1. The $300 first prize is to be awarded June 15.

Opening the contest to public school students is intended to give African-American students a sense of pride and ownership in the museum. It gives them a chance to place their “creative thumbprint” on the future of the museum, Payne said.

The logo will appear on stationery, newsletters, T-shirts, anything bearing the name of the museum, Payne said. Contestants should incorporate the museum’s name, as well as a symbol, into the design.

Now in its second year, the museum is one of more than 100 African-American museums in the United States, Payne said. It was founded to celebrate and promote the art and culture of African-Americans from a historical and contemporary perspective.

Soliciting entries from the community is a way of acknowledging the support the museum has received from the community, she said. “Our events have been well attended, and we decided it’s about time to polish our image.”

The contest will be judged by the museum’s 10-member board of directors. The $300 cash prize and two certificates of honorable mention will be presented June 15 at the Gateway Center, 930 Gateway Center Way in Southeast San Diego.

The presentation will be part of the museum’s Juneteenth celebration. The annual holiday was originally a celebration of the end of slavery by blacks in Texas after the Civil War. The museum will observe the holiday in the atmosphere of an African marketplace.

For more information about the contest, call 272-2632 or pick up entry requirements at the museum’s office, 4901 Morena Blvd., Suite 125.