4-H members are looking forward to the various rallies and summer fairs that they will be participating in throughout the summer.

This year, however, a new initiative has inspired club members to put their heads together to come up with a creative depiction of what 4-H means to them through the 4-H Manitoba Art Challenge.

Linda Mcrae-Walker is the Administrator with the Manitoba 4-H Council.

She says the Art Challenge is a Canada 150 initiative for members to put onto a 24"x36" canvas showing the agrarian roots of where 4-H started to what 4-H looks like today in their clubs and communities.  As 4-H clubs include a wealth of activities and projects, including livestock, grow projects and Home-Ec, the pictures can be Ag-related or non-Ag.

Members could decorate their canvas however they wanted using whatever medium they chose.  Completed artwork was then photographed and sent to the Manitoba 4-H office to be displayed on their website for communities to vote on.  Everyone can vote, not just 4-H members or alumni.

Mcrae-Walker says there are two ways for the public to get involved through voting.  “Everyone can go online to vote for their favourite picture on the 4-H Manitoba website. As well,” she says, “club members will take their completed canvas to their local fair that’s closest to them and there will be an opportunity for in-person voting for the public.”

The 4-H Art Challenge will be visiting ten of Manitoba’s summer fairs over the next few months, beginning with the Brandon Summer Fair next week.   Through voting, first and second place winners from each fair will be competing in the provincial finals at Ag Ex in October.  Top place winners will receive a cash prize for their club.

“This is a huge initiative and a fun way to celebrate 4-H and Canada’s 150 at the same time,” says Mcrae-Walker.  “And one of the things we wanted our clubs to do when they were doing it was to invite people from their communities and their schools, who are not related to 4-H and haven’t been in 4-H, and get them involved in this canvas as well, just to bring 4-H into their lives and just to see what it’s all about and maybe spark some interest for them too.”

The Manitoba 4-H Art Challenge has been funded through the Canada 150 initiative.

4-H Manitoba invites everyone to participate by visiting their website to vote online at www.4h.mb.ca or by voting at the following ten summer fairs across the province:  

Brandon Summer Fair June 7-10, Lundar Fair June 9-10, Red River Ex Winnipeg June 16-25, Turtle Mountain Fair Boissevain  June 24-25, Dauphin Fair June 29-July 1, Portage Fair and Exhibition  July 7-9, Springfield County Fair in Dugald  July 15, Hamiota Fair  July 20, Winkler Harvest Festival Aug 11-13, and Culture Days in The Pas  Sept 30.