A love for art and a love for animals – plus a distaste for littering – helped this Berkeley Elementary fourth grader win a statewide art contest with an important environmental message.
Lily Duncan is the region winner for the Lowcountry in the Governor’s Art Contest on Litter Prevention.
Each year, PalmettoPride invites elementary students in South Carolina to participate in the Governor’s Art Contest on Litter Prevention. Through their artwork, students illustrate the theme “Litter Trashes Everyone.”
“Education plays a vital role in changing litter habits,” Lt. Governor Pamela Evette said in a press release from PalmettoPride. “Through this art contest, we educate by engaging with our student’s creative talents to teach them the important role we all play in keeping our state litter free.”
Duncan’s artwork features a little red crab skirting through the sand; on its head is an empty cup turned upside down as if being worn like a hat, and a plastic baggie is stuck on one of its claws. Around the crab are other bits of garbage – like an aluminum can and a plastic bottle. Hovering above the crab are the words “litter trashes everyone.”
Duncan said her vision for her artwork was the idea of someone carelessly knocking over a trashcan and not bothering to clean up the mess, which has subsequently been dumped on this unsuspecting crab.
Ward said Duncan is a very talented young artist who has had artwork submitted for other local art contests, like the Coastal Carolina Fair.
“Lily is very humble and very well-liked by her peers,” Ward said. “She’s very caring and kind and she would be a great ambassador for our school because she stands out in so many ways. She’s just a great kid.”
Duncan was among four regional state winners (plus one state winner) from around the state who were honored at the State House on March 15. Ward was in the crowd to watch Duncan be recognized.
“She’s an amazing art teacher,” Duncan said, adding she appreciated Ward coming to the ceremony – “especially since she had to give up teaching classes to come all the way up to Columbia to see me win an award. I really appreciate her as an art teacher and for being a person in my life.”
As a region winner in the contest, Duncan earned $250 – she also earned Ward and her school $500 that is going to go toward helping Ward purchase pottery equipment.
Duncan said she wants to put some of her earnings toward her rock collection but particularly wants to use some of it to support animals because she is avid animal lover.
“Something I’ve always wanted to do is give money to animal shelters because I love animals so much – that’s another thing that inspired me to do this because I hate to see them in trash,” she said.
Duncan is a Gifted and Talented student in Rebecca Swisher’s class. Her parents are Jenny and Andrew Duncan.
Duncan is also an active visual artist through Berkeley County School District’s STEP program.
“I love art – it’s one of my favorite activities,” she said.