PORT TOWNSEND — Public voting is open now in the first Port Townsend Wearable Art Show Mask Contest, with 231 entries from around the world.
Voting is at PTWearableArt.com.
In April, organizers of the Port Townsend Wearable Art Show invited artists of all ages to send in their original face-mask art — with no entry fee. The idea was to give people a chance to express themselves and connect with other art lovers under the umbrella of the Wearable Art Show, which was canceled this year.
The responses poured in.
Artists from the North Olympic Peninsula and from across the United States and Europe, Australia and Mexico sent photos of themselves wearing their just-finished face coverings.
The entries are wild, pretty, silly and serious, coordinator Tina Flores-McCleese said, adding that materials range from Legos to lace, flowers, beads and safety cones.
On the website, people can vote on which masks are their favorites through this Friday with winners announced Saturday.
Contest prizes are $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third place.
“We value artists and want to support them any way we can,” Flores-McCleese said.
“In these trying times, art can help us stay connected and inspired.”
The Port Townsend Wearable Art Show, rescheduled for May 2021, is a fundraiser for the Jefferson Community Foundation Fund for Women and Girls, which makes grants to local organizations such as Dove House and the Benji Project.
For information about supporting the fund, see JCFgives.org.
