Avon Then & Now is a community art challenge and part of Avon’s America 250 celebration of the semi-quincentennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Residents are tasked with creating their own original art piece based on a topic from the Farmington Valley’s rich history. There are five categories of submission, with prizes! Students in grades K-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-12, and adults are all encouraged to enter.
All media types are welcome! Paintings, drawings, collages, prints, 3D models, and photographs. Illustrations can take the form of a single image, a poster, a vignette or map. Photography should be no smaller than 8” X 10”. Finished work should be no longer than 18” on one side.
For inspiration, check out the photos from our local history collection that have been digitized and uploaded to the Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA). Over 40,000 items have been digitized for this online collection. Some potential topics include:
- Founding families
- Native American settlements
- The Brian D. Jones site and artificats
- Architecture (churches, schools, post office, library, historic homes or businesses)
- Transportation (cars, trucks, railroad, horses, canal)
- Farms, pastures and parks
- Structures and monuments (bridges, roads, cemeteries, statues)
- Signs
- Sports
- Tools, crafts, clothing or toys
- Historical events (Flood of 1955, wars)
- Landscapes (scenes and views from Avon such as the Heublien Tower, meadows, farms)
All entries must be accompanied by a short paragraph describing the subject of your artwork. It should include names, dates, locations, and any significant or interesting details about the subject. Visit the Avon Library Reference Desk for help identifying or researching your topic.
The contest begins on January 21, 2026, and all art must be submitted by March 30, 2026. Submissions will be displayed at the Avon Library in May 2026. Use the form below the entry requirements to submit your artwork and paragraph. Please hold onto your original art pieces until Library staff ask for them to be brought in for the May display.
Entry Requirements:
- One entry per person
- All entries must be the original work of an individual artist
- Artists must be Avon residents
- 2 dimensional pieces must be ready to hang; 3 dimensional pieces must be ready to display
- Submit one photo of 2 dimensional pieces, two photos of 3 dimensional pieces; photos must be jpeg or PDF format
- All entries must be accompanied by a short paragraph describing the subject of your artwork.
Thank you to our sponsor, Jerry’s Artarama West Hartford, for their support of this contest!