The Museum of African American Art and Time Warner Cable are hosting a contest for Middle School, High School, and College students asking for a 500 word essay on the prolific African American painter Palmer Hayden who’s work often depicted African American life as it was at the time. Hayden’s actual name was Peyton Hedgemen and was one of the first African American painters to use African subjects and designs in his designs and paintings. He painted in both oils and watercolors, and was a fruitful artist of his era.
Palmer Hayden
The information below outlines the official rules and regulations governing the 2015 MAAA Student Essay Competition. Please read this entire document carefully.

CONTEST SPONSOR Time Warner Cable
DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTEST
Your essay should focus on the importance of Palmer Hayden as an artist and the importance to the community of having his collection at the Museum of African American Art.
Palmer C. Hayden was born in Widewater, Virginia, on January 15, 1890, and died on February 18, 1973, at the age of eighty-three. He gained recognition in 1926 when he won the first prize and a gold medal in painting at the first Harmon Foundation exhibition of black artists. An unpretentious yet perceptive observer, he attempted to convey in his paintings the experiences of black men in the United States, while at the same time uncovering the relationships among the events in his own life. After searching the country for an appropriate repository for her husband’s work, the late Miriam Hayden elected to bequeath forty paintings to the permanent collection of The Museum of African American Art. Mrs. Hayden selected MAAA with the understanding that the museum fulfill her wishes to preserve the collection and promote a wider appreciation of Palmer Hayden.
(The above text was excerpted and adapted from printed materials developed under guest curator Allan M. Gordon, PhD, for the 1988 exhibit
Echoes of Our Past: The Narrative Artistry of Palmer C. Hayden at The Museum of African American Art.)
WHO CAN ENTER
To be eligible to participate in this contest, entrants must be enrolled in Middle School, High School, or College and must attend the Black History Month Celebration:
CONTEST PERIOD
Entries can be submitted from February 23, 2015 to 11:59 pm on March 9, 2015. Judging will take place from March 10, 2015 to March 13, 2015. Winners will be announced on March 20, 2015.
CONTEST PRIZES
(Submission of an essay
does not guarantee an award.)
$200 FIRST PLACE for a Middle School Student
$200 FIRST PLACE for a High School Student
$200 FIRST PLACE for a College Student
BINDING AGREEMENT
To enter the contest you must agree to these Official Rules. Therefore please read the following rules prior to entry to ensure you understand and agree. You agree that submission of an entry in the contest constitutes agreement to these rules. You may not submit an entry to the contest and are not eligible to receive the prizes described in the official rules unless you agree to the official rules. These official rules form a binding legal agreement between you and the contest sponsors with respect to the contest.
ESSAY REQUIREMENTS
Ø Essay can be no longer than 500 words. Student contact information and references are not included
in the total word count.
Ø Typed using double line spacing
Ø 12 point font size
Ø 1 inch margins (top, bottom, left and right)
Ø Page numbered (lower right)
Ø Essays containing plagiarized text will automatically be disqualified.
ESSAY SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Ø Submitted essays must meet all competition requirements in order to be considered for any award.
Ø All Essays must be submitted as an email attachment to bettjohn@aol.com
on or before 11:59 pm on Monday, March 9, 2015.
Ø Essays must be submitted in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect readable format.
Ø A completed Student Information Cover Sheet must be submitted with the essay.
Ø The Cover Sheet should include: (1) student’s first and last name, (2) mailing address,
(3) phone number, (4) email address, and (5) the name of your school.
WINNER NOTIFICATION
Winners will be notified by email. Winners must show picture identification to claim their prize.
By participating in the contest, each participant and winner waives any and all claims of liability against MAAA, and their employees and agents, for any personal injury or loss that may occur from the conduct of, or participating in the contest, or from the use of any prize.
By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation, of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium, (including without limitation, radio broadcasts; newspapers and other publications; television or film releases; slides; videotape; distribution over the internet; and picture data storage) MAAA may deem appropriate.
MAAA CONTACT
Elizabeth “Betty”