Campus Connection

Student brings home the green and gold for UWL Art Department

Trips to Lambeau Field as a kid were the inspiration for a UW-La Crosse student who won an art contest with the Green Bay Packers. Carolyn Myers came across the competition on Facebook, asking artists to reflect on “100 seasons of Packers Football” in Titletown. She thought it wouldn’t include college-age students, but found out there were three categories: middle school, high school and college. Myers had three days to complete her work once she saw the notice. “I am an artist and I wanted a challenge,” she says about her decision to enter the contest. She completed the watercolor in about 10 hours. [caption id="attachment_8216" align="alignright" width="500"] Carolyn Myers’ winning art piece in a contest asking students to reflect on “100 seasons of Packers Football” focuses on Green Bay’s foundation — its fans. “That is why I have the Packers riding the kids’ bikes and having the connection directly to the family of fans,” she explains.[/caption] “My piece was done to honor the transition of the Packers’ stadium, players, uniforms and fans,” she explains. “It is centrally themed around how Green Bay has always been about its foundation in its fans. That is why I have the Packers riding the kids’ bikes and having the connection directly to the family of fans.” Myers says all of the Hall of Famer's names, numbers or faces are in the painting. “My family is unrecognizable in the painting, standing on one of the benches in the back, which is where we have taken a family picture before,” she notes. Her family went to Packer games when Myers was growing up. Her father is a shareholder, and her brother and husband are also Packer fans. By winning the second annual contest from the around 400 submissions, Myers was honored at the Packers Suite Holders Tasting event at Lambeau, where her artwork will be displayed during the upcoming season. Along with the gold-winning honor, the senior from Grantsburg, Wisconsin, received $5,000 for the UWL Art Department by having her work selected. The art education major hopes to inspire children as an art teacher. “I hope to expand their minds in how they think of themselves, others and the world around them,” explains Myers. “I truly hope to find a place that honors and cultivates the importance of creativity, or at least a place where I can begin this outlook and influence my students into positive life direction.” Myers thinks her Packer piece will score on her resume and in her portfolio too. “It is a unique experience to be a part of,” she says. “Although if I go to teach in Minnesota, hopefully, someone in the hiring process will be a Packer fan. It is quite the honor and great experience either way.”