Monday, January 7, 2013
As a Vans Custom Culture national charity partner, Americans for the Arts is proud to work closely with the brand to reinforce the importance of arts education in schools across the country.
With the launch of the 2013 Vans Custom Culture competition on January 2, budding artists and designers are racing to have their teachers fill registration slots open to the first 1,500 U.S.-based public or private high schools (more than 650 have already entered!).
The program, in its fourth iteration, pushes students to compete and create a work of art from a blank pair of Vans shoes. Each blank shoe must be designed by using the following themes: Art, Music, Action Sports, and Local Flavor.
Students will have until April 5 to complete the shoes and submit their images online. The Custom Culture competition will generate $50,000 for the winning schoolâs art program at the final judging in New York this summer while simultaneously drawing attention to the importance of art as an integral part of a well-rounded education.
Artists, fashion designers, athletes, and local news anchors are all being tapped to create their own custom shoes as Ambassadors of the program. Eager to provide inspiration wherever possible, Ambassadors are tweeting images (#VansCustomCulture) of their own custom designs. Some of our favorites can be found on ARTSblog and on the Vans Custom Culture site.
