The second annual Sundance Art Prize showcases the works of talented young artists in the United States and Canada. The competition is an exciting event showcasing the work of many emerging artists who display unique visual compositions in several mediums. The theme this year is “Triceron,” a spectacular dinosaur that lives in the Permian geological period. Illustrator, cartoonist, and painter Sundara Bell will present the award for outstanding composition to a gallery audience during the opening reception on Saturday, April 14th. The exhibition is free and open to the public, but advance registration is recommended. The participating artists will be showcased in a lighted tent on the grounds before a live auction at the conclusion of the exhibition.
The theme of the exhibition is “The Art of Prehistoric Times.” The exhibits include dinosaur renderings created by Sundara Bell of St. Louis, Missouri; twin boys of St. Louis, Michael and Jake Shields of Hazelwood, Missouri; and St. Louis artist Victoria Gill who created an enormous prehistoric landscape in the city. Other participating artists are from throughout the midwestern United States.
On sunday May 6th, “Triceron,” the first specimen discovered from prehistoric times will be on display for art dinosaur enthusiasts and the general public at the Natural History Museum of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The exhibit is part of the museum's annual spring preparation for the National Fossil Day celebrations. The winning entry in the prehistoric art dinosaur drawing competition will be announced on sunday. Entries for the contest can be submitted by students, teachers, parents and others in the science community.
Art History teachers and school children in the St. Louis schools are excited about the opportunity to participate in the Sundance exhibit. “Triceron” is the latest addition to the world of paleontology and is described as a small herbivore that lived about two hundred million years ago. The specimen has been named “Paralithodes,” which means “winged dinosaurs of the genus Ornithischia.” The specimen was discovered at the Paleolette Cave in Montana.
A week later, “Paralithodes” will be on display at the Natural History Museum in St. Louis. This is the second specimen discovered. The first one was discovered in eighteen seventy-five at the Bad River Irrigation Project in downstream Pend Oreille, Montana. The paleontologists who made the discovery were impressed by the small size and robustness of Paralithodes. It reminded them of prehistoric animals known as armored dinosaurs. Their descriptions also included robust body plans and robust tail flukes.
The paleontologists and their assistants spent hours trying to figure out how this small creature moved about. They finally realized that it ran by walking on its tail, much like modern birds. The legs were strong and the animal also possessed small horns. Based on the many discoveries of fossils and the reconstructions of these prehistoric animals provided by the paleontologists, the
Samantha Bell Art contest took place.
The result is a book and website by Stephen Bell, titled “The Dinosaurs of the Jurassic Coast: An Archaeological excavation across the Canadian Border and North America.” The book and website covers the history of dinosaurs and their disappearance. Bell includes drawings and photographs of the prehistoric animals that are extinct today. It is interesting to look at the various aspects of prehistoric animals, but it is even more interesting to know how different our prehistoric animals looked like compared to their modern counterparts. It is interesting to think that the beautiful animals that once roamed the earth were no longer, as if suddenly, threatened.
The website also provides additional information on the Samhra Bell Art Contest and how to enter. It has details of how to participate, rules, and advice on how to preserve and display your prehistoric art. The website also has a gallery of works from the participants of the Samantha Bell Art Contest. One of the other things to keep in mind when participating in such an art competition is that if you win, you must be willing to give three years of regular maintenance to the winner's artwork.
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