2021 Design and Story Contest Winners

“Quilts tell stories. Each handmade quilt I have ever seen has been a great symbol of pride revealing an intricate story of art and heritage. This quilt reveals the past: L’Anse aux Meadows and the Vikings; a tepee style home belonging to Indigenous people of our province including such groups as Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Inuit, Innu, Métis… It also has the silhouettes of modern-day city buildings. The quilt is bordered with our remembrance flowers - the poppies and the forget-me-nots honouring all those that sacrifice(d) for our peace. The drawing has a vibrant plethora of colours because our province has a great, colourful history that we should all be so proud of. The architecture of our homes, the icebergs, the story quilts, fires, the ocean… all represent “Our Environment: Past and Present.”

“One day, a long time ago, there was a little boy who loved fishing with his pop. When they came home from fishing, they would have lots of fish and they loved to see the smile on everyone’s face when they came home with a big bucket of fish. There were a lot of people working in the fish industry that loved their job but one day, pop noticed that there was not much fish. During this time, over 37,000 lost their jobs in the fish industry.

Soon it became a big deal. The little boy asked where all the fish went, but nobody knew. The next day, they wanted to go fishing but it is now banned to go cod fishing until the cod comes back and has baby cod, then they grow and have more baby cod. Soon there were more fish, and now we are more careful with our fish.” ­

“Saltbox houses are very significant in the history of Newfoundland. I believe it is important that we value what our ancestors built and appreciate the work they put into it. The saltbox house I drew is an example of a first-generation house, sometimes referred to as a settler’s house, these homes were built most frequently from 1835 – 1910. These houses were very rugged looking one storey dwellings and were made from rudimentary materials. Compared to the modern house on the bottom of my design, the saltbox house has more character and historical significance.”

“I titled this piece ‘Times are Changing’ because it represents the major changes in Newfoundland’s identity. I drew a train crossing the trestle in Bishop’s Falls. During the time of the railway, the train was fairly important to the face of Newfoundland. In front of it, there is a quad, which is very prevalent in Newfoundland these days. If you go out in the summer, you are bound to see at least one quad or dirt bike. They have become a signature part of our province. Underneath the train, I drew the Exploits River which used to be overflowing with fish. I represented this with my drawing of a multitude of fish. As you can see, there is only one under the quad. From the overfishing throughout the years, the fish population is a lot lower nowadays. Overall, my piece represents Newfoundland’s Past and present through its changing identity.”

“I drew a row of fishing stages from the past and the present showing how the old Newfoundland fishing tradition is slowly dying out. The first row is complete and the other isn’t showing that people leaving and abandoning this environment and tradition.”

“Deep Water Creek was a fishing cove where some people used to live back then. One of our things we do in Labrador is fishing, so I thought this would be a fun project to draw and write. Family houses were close to the water, so they didn’t need to go far but it was hard for people to live and move around as some family houses were built on cliffs.”

“The wolverine is a native mammal to Labrador. They resemble a small bear with a bushy tail. It has long, dark and brown fur with 2 yellowish stripes starting at the head and ending at the rump. There have been no confirmed records since the 1950s but there are unconfirmed sightings since then. Global warning and overhunting have a huge role in the endangerment of the wolverine and the past to present population has changed rapidly.”

“On November 18th, 1929 in Burin Peninsula, a tsunami struck Newfoundland. This tsunami was caused by an earthquake about 2 hours before the incident happened. The ground shook but nothing happened afterwards until the tsunami. The tsunami hit Burin at 140 km/h and killed 28 people! People in other parts of Newfoundland donated money and they raised over $200,000 to help with the damage.”

“I drew my hometown. People and my ancestors lived here for a long time. I really like Grey River and I want to live here when I am older. Grey River is very small and about 80 people live here.”