DI student earns top prize in art contest

A painting created by Hanahan High School student Madeline Lemmon, a Daniel Island resident, will soon grace the front cover of the new 2017 Home Telecom Phone Directory. At the encouragement of her art teacher at HHS, Carol Gardner, Madeline entered the 3rd Annual Home Telecom Directory Art Challenge last fall.

The objective of the competition was to produce an artwork that depicts an inspirational or beautiful scene in Berkeley County, or that spotlights an historical event or site from the area. The company would select three entries – one for the front cover, one for the back cover, and another for inside the directory. Madeline recently learned her painting, which features a riverside Live Oak at Mepkin Abbey, won the top prize.

Madeline’s mother Michele said they thought long and hard about what she could paint for the contest, and ultimately settled on a scene from Mepkin Abbey, a special place to their family.

“We drove up there one Sunday afternoon and took a bunch of pictures of different things,” said Michele. “She settled on this one, which looks out over the river. Then she painted it from the photograph.”

According to a Home Telecom press release, numerous talented Berkeley County School District students, ranging from elementary to high school, competed this year for the first place cover display in the contest. The judges selected Madeline’s “Sea Tree” for its “tranquil vision” well known to many Lowcountry natives. Not only will her art appear on the HOME Telecom 2017 Directory cover, but also a $1,000 prize will be awarded to Hanahan High School’s Art Department. In addition to second and third place winners, ten other Berkeley County students were selected as runners-up to receive prizes for their art departments. The total amount awarded to contest winners exceeded $5,000.

“It is a great pleasure to see how many gifted young people are interested in participating in our third annual Art Challenge,” noted Dewey Ford, marketing and communications coordinator for Home Telecom. “This challenge has grown to become a great community building opportunity in which we are delighted to be a part.”