The voting is in progress for this year’s Alaska Artistic License Plate competition and is organized through the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Alaskans are able to choose their favoriteamong the six final designs available on the website of the state council.
The semi-final license plate designs were picked by a panel composed of elected officials from the local area as well as photographers and artists as well as Anita Laulainen of Palmer, the first contest winner in 2017.
Benjamin Brown has chaired the Alaska State Council on the Arts since 2007. Brown claimed that the council has modeled the contest on artistic license plate contests held in other states.
“Part of the charm of the event is that the plate is visible as well as the ability to see it. are aware of the arts and celebration of the arts in an automobile,” Brown said.
This contest was established in the Legislature in 2016 and an amendment to the legislation that was approved last year permitted the council to collect $3 for each artistic license plate that is sold to raise money to support the council. Brown stated that about 15,000 people had already voted for this competition, which was almost the number who voted during the entire 2017 contest.
The winner of the contest will be chosen through random choice voting that will be in effect until July 31. Winners will be revealed at the Alaska State Fairon on August 26 and will receive an award of $1,000. The remaining five semi-finalists will each win $250.
The contest was planned to be repeated every four years following Laulainen won in 2017 however Brown claimed that a veto by council funding as well as due to the October 2018 earthquake and the COVID-19 virus halted the contest.
One of the semi-finalists among the semifinalists is Wasilla the High School’s instructor Robin Lockwood. She explained that her class on digital media focused on license plate designs and her students urged her to create her own.
“I do not consider myself an artist and have many of art work. As I looked at the artists that, you’re aware of, are my heroes and who have their work displayed in my homeI’m in awe that I’m actually in the same class with them for this competition,” Lockwood said.
Lockwood will use the money she won in her class, regardless of whether she receives the top prize or a semi-finalist prize.
Lockwood claimed that her most favorite design came by Juneau artist Crystal Worl, who has painted a number of murals across Alaska and created her design of the livery to the Alaska Airlines salmon-themed aircraft this year. Worl stated that she employed elements from her previous designs for her plate and was influenced by the practice of subsistence with her children.
“Alaskans are really excited by the local artist creating work that’s uniquely Alaskan and I think it’s a great thing that everybody can take part and view the entire collection and sort them into a list of what they enjoy,” Worl said. “So everyone is getting art on their vehicle and I think it’s very exciting. Because Alaskans are what we are, we adore their license plates.”
Semifinalists are artists with varying experiences and backgrounds. Megan Brothers of Wasilla has no formal art education However, she heard about the contest through her son’s teacher at elementary school. Tehya McLeod from Fairbanks was informed about the contest during a class in Fairbanks’ University of Alaska Fairbanks. Two of the contestants, of them, Sabrina Kessakorn as well as Amanda Warren of Anchorage incorporated fireweed into their designs for their plates However, Kessakorn employed Denali as background.
“I am sure that this contest has made the arts visible to the spotlight,” Kessakorn said.
The council also organized the youth competition as well as the council announced the winners from various age groups.
At present, Alaskans can choose from 27 design of license plates which are offered by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The original design by Laulainen will not be available, however the chosen winner’s design will be accessible to Alaskans to apply for their cars by 2023.
