Lydia Fuchs Placed 12th Nationally Patriotic Art Contest
Lydia Fuchs won first place at the Ohio state level of the VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest, receiving a $500 cash scholarship. Her artwork, titled Fiddler of Freedom, advanced to the national level. Lydia placed twelfth and earned a $500 school scholarship.
When asked about her inspiration for the drawing, Lydia Fuchs shared that the Thompson family, who are family friends from church, inspired her artwork. Martha Thompson gave Lydia a fiddle that belonged to her late husband, Jim. Jim Thompson served in the military during World War II and was awarded a Silver Star. This was Lydia’s first fiddle that she learned to play. The family also had a son, Clyde, who served in Vietnam. Through this family’s stories and beautiful gift, Lydia created Fiddler of Freedom, using chalk pastels.
Barnesville High School art teacher, Luke Johnson, shared that Lydia is an outstanding, young artist with a passion for the arts, including music and the visual arts. Johnson stated, “I feel she was able to combine both in her interpretation of the Fiddler of Freedom.” Johnson continued, “Her work has been appreciated in multiple shows and competitions.”
Each year, the VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest has more than 4,000 high school students from across the United States participate. The contest began in 1979 to recognize young artists and to encourage patriotism. All students enrolled in grades 9-12 in the United States, its territories, and possessions are eligible to enter. This contest only comprises two-dimensional art on canvas or paper. Art pieces can be created with watercolor, pencil, pastel, charcoal, tempera, crayon, acrylic, pen, ink, oil, marker, or other media. Visit the VFW Auxiliary website for more information about this contest as well as the 3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest.
Established in 1914, the VFW Auxiliary is one of the nation’s oldest veterans’ service organizations. The mission of this group is to serve the veterans of this country and our communities in honor of the sacrifices and commitment of every man and woman who has served in uniform. There are almost 470,000 members in more than 3,500 Auxiliaries nationwide.
The Barnesville VFW Post 2792 is located at 129 South Chestnut Street, Barnesville, and has a VFW Auxiliary. The VFW Auxiliary also sponsors the Patriot’s Pen and the Voice of Democracy essay contests.
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