About 200 Nebraska high school students to compete in Hastings College Mural Day

(Hastings, Nebraska) – Armed with paint, blank canvases and zero advance notice of the theme, about 200 high school students from 36 Nebraska schools will take over part of the Hastings College campus Wednesday, Sept. 30, for the annual Jackson Dinsdale Art Center (JDAC) Mural Day Competition.

The competition challenges teams of up to six students per school to create large-scale, 36-by-60-inch vinyl murals from scratch in just a few hours. The creative theme for the competition is revealed moments before the clock starts at 10:30 a.m., testing the teams’ creativity, collaboration and ability to think on their feet under a tight deadline.

Due to forecasted rain, the event is moving indoors this year, with the floor of Kiewit Gymnasium serving as an art studio for the day to give 36 high school teams a high-energy space to paint and bring their visions to life.

Murals will be judged by Hastings College senior art majors, with awards presented to the top three teams. After the competition, teams are allowed to take their murals to hang in their high schools.

The event is highly visual and open to the media.
What: Hastings College Mural Competition
When: Wednesday, September 30
Time: 10:00 am-3:30 p.m.
Painting is 10:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
 The best time for photos/video/interviews is noon to 2:00 p.m.
Awards are at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Kiewit Gymnasium, 715 E. 7th Street, Hastings, Nebraska
Why: About 200 students from 36 high schools will compete in a mural painting competition

Participating high schools include:
Adams Central High School
Arapahoe-Holbrook High School
Beatrice High School
Blue Hill Schools
Boone Central
Centura High School
Crete High School
Doniphan-Trumbull High School
Elm Creek Public Schools
Gibbon High School
Grand Island Lutheran
Grand Island Senior High
Hampton High School
Hastings High School
Hastings St. Cecilia High School
Heartland Community Schools
Kearney High School
Kenesaw Public Schools
Lawrence-Nelson Schools
McCook Senior High School
Northwest High School
O'Neill Public Schools
Omaha Burke High School
Osceola High School
Palmer High School
Ravenna High School
Red Cloud High School
Riverside Public Schools
Sandy Creek Public Schools
Silver Lake High School
Southern Valley High School
St. Paul High School
Superior High School
Thayer Central High School
Valentine High School
Waverly High School