Silver Spring artist Fernando Santiago has been named the winner of the Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival poster contest, county officials announced this week.
This year’s poster for the seventh annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival is based on a design submitted by Santiago, who will receive a cash prize of $500 donated by IHOP Wheaton.
The poster contest was open to all Montgomery County residents. Wheaton Arts Parade designer Josue Martinez of Corinto Gallery incorporated the winning artwork into the poster and T-shirt design. Additionally, the artwork will be featured in all promotional materials leading up to the parade.
“My family loves parades. We are known to travel long distances to see them,” said Mr. Santiago. “In 2019, we were at the Wheaton Arts Parade and it was amazing. The floats, the artists and the overwhelming love of art struck a chord in me. It was after the 2019 arts parade that I decided to get back into art. I had not made art since graduating from my art high school in Puerto Rico in 1996, but watching all those artists marching in the arts parade inspired me to ask ‘If not now, when?’ This is the phrase I chose to portray in my submission to the poster competition. In it, I show regular people taking a chance to bring beauty to the world they inhabit.”
In honor of Mr. Santiago, IHOP will donate an additional $100 for art supplies to Glenallan Elementary School. According to Santiago, he selected Glenallan for the supplies because his daughter attended school there when they first moved to Montgomery County.
“As a life-long resident of Wheaton and local business owner, I appreciate what Wheaton Arts Parade has done to celebrate our community and activate the arts district,” said IHOP Wheaton owner and prize sponsor William Moore. “I am honored to sponsor the annual poster contest and to reward the creative efforts of local artists like Fernando.”
The annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival will take place on Sunday, October 15, in the Wheaton Triangle and on Marian Fryer Plaza above the Wheaton Metro Station. This event brings together Wheaton’s residents, artists, businesses, and civic organizations to celebrate the arts and Wheaton’s diverse community. Immediately following the art parade, the community gathers for a festival of performances, art exhibits, and food.
Montgomery County photo & graphic