Yukimi Arakida of Hanamaki Higashi High School in Hanamaki, Japan, Hot Springs’ sister city, was recently selected as an international finalist in Sister Cities International’s Young Artists and Authors Showcase. Her artwork, “Friendship Across Borders,” was displayed at SCI’s 61st Annual Conference, held July 14 – 15 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and will subsequently tour several cities across the United States.
Inspired by the theme “We’re Going Places,” Arakida submitted her work for the local competition in Hot Springs, held in March and sponsored by the Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation in partnership with Emergent Arts and the Garland County Library. All local entries were displayed from mid-March through mid-April at the library. Arakida’s work along with that of Brittany Marteny, Lakeside High School, won top awards at the local competition, making Marteny a two-time first place local winner. Marteny’s work is entitled “One with the World.”
For nearly three decades, SCI has leveraged the power that art has to transform societies and transcend cultural boundaries through the Young Artists and Authors Showcase. The competition gives youth from around the globe the opportunity to express their vision for a more unified, peaceful world through original artwork and literature.
For more information about the showcase and to request copies of the artwork, email Christina Burchette at cburchette@sistercities.org . To view the 2017 Showcase artwork submissions, including those of Arakida and Marteny, visit sistercitiesinternational.tumblr.com .