Columbus Main Street on Monday unveiled its official artwork for the 2016 Market Street Festival.
Main Street Executive Director Barbara Bigelow said Mississippi University for Women art student Allyson Flood created the winning design. It will be used on T-shirts and posters that will be available in the spring.
Bigelow said Main Street has partnered with MUW for Market Street Festival artwork since 2009.
“We partner with The W on this artwork project for the Market Street Festival,” Bigelow said. “We have a committee of community volunteers and we meet with the students of a class.”
Nine students in MUW assistant professor of art Jonathan Cumberland’s advanced graphic design class submitted designs for the festival.
Amber Brislin, Market Street Festival coordinator, said the committee narrowed the field to a few finalists, and then selected Flood’s submission.
Flood is a junior from Elgin, Illinois. She’s a fine arts major with a concentration in graphic design.
The Market Street design contest is the first of its kind to which Flood has submitted any of her work. She said she worked on the design for about two weeks.
“It’s kind of exciting,” she said. “It gives a sense of importance seeing your work used for something big like this.”
Cumberland said he was proud of Flood’s efforts.
“All the students have worked really hard for this,” he said. “I think it’s really rewarding when students see successes from their efforts and something good coming out of their efforts. I know Allyson is really excited about this. She’s a really talented designer and works hard, and it’s showed here.
He further noted that the process of designing and submitting art work for events such as the Market Street Festival was beneficial for all the students.
“With any type of real-world project we can get for the students, the more we can get the better,” Cumberland said. “This is a great opportunity. It’s great to be juried and win from a selection of jurors, but it’s nice to just see your design plastered through all of downtown.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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