Library Card Design Competition

Dawn Nielson is a multidisciplinary artist living and creating in Stevenson, Washington, where Kamane Studio—a barn nestled on her property—serves as both a sanctuary and an artmaking space. With a background in graphic design, her art reveals a refined balance of form, texture, and emotion through painting and sculpting with encaustic wax. Dawn also brings her creative thinking to her role as associate director of strategic initiatives with the Stevenson Downtown Association, a Main Street organization, weaving together art, place, and purpose.

Christine A. Richardson is the founder and executive director of theARTScentered, a Vancouver non-profit organization working to provide resources, space, professional expertise, and collaborative opportunities for local visual and performing arts.  Born and raised in Vancouver, she has enjoyed a national career in the arts spanning over 3 decades and credits that success to her curiosity and passion for history and knowledge cultivated by the many joyful hours she spent at the much beloved old FVRLibrary building on Mill Plain. 

Jen Smith is a charcoal and pastel contemporary wildlife artist. Her style and subject matter nod to growing up in the wilds of northern Wyoming just 90 miles east of Yellowstone National Park. Jen annually exhibits at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming, and the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. 

Skip Enge spent 22 years as an exhibit designer for the Oregon Historical Society museum in Portland, Oregon. His first art show took place in 1974 at the Fort Vancouver Community Library. Since then, he has shown his work in over 40 exhibitions. His medium of choice is watercolor. 

Liam Toebbe is a teen student artist and emerging creative voice. He currently studies at the University of San Marcos, where he continues to develop his artistic skills and explore new forms of visual storytelling.

Artist Statement: Living in Yacolt, I was inspired by the nature around me and all the animals. My design reflects the community theme because it shows animals that are not normally friendly with each other brought together as a community through the books that they read at the library.

Artist Statement: My design features FVRLibraries reimagined in vibrant graffiti, set against the historic silhouette of Fort Vancouver. I drew inspiration from the dynamic art culture thriving across Vancouver. This piece reflects “Our Stories, Our Communities” by visually uniting our past with contemporary culture. Fort Vancouver, a landmark that is over 200 years old, serves as a powerful symbol, bridging generations and emotions, and strengthening within our community today. The graffiti represents the street art which we see all around our community, portraying emotions in a unique way.

Artist Statement: With the theme being “Our Stories, Our Communities” I decided to draw flowers that are significant or hold significant meaning in various cultures: a poppy, a cherry blossom tree, a bamboo orchid, a lotus, a peony, and some carnations. Most of these flowers represent things such as resilience, hope, and love. Poppies for example, are a symbol of remembrance and hope for a peaceful future. 

Artist Statement: Tsagiglalal, or “She Who Watches”, a once and forever powerful chief, preserves thousands of years of cultural tradition by flowing her wisdom through Wyam’s waters. Wykanush traverses these totemic streams to connect lands near and afar with enriched stories of times that have passed and of times that have yet to come.

While pollution and climate change threaten Wyam’s legacy, Tsagiglalal’s stories carried on the fins of Wykanush not only strengthen thousands of years of community tradition but also encourage all of us to become better stewards of our ancestral lands, so that those who come after us can still answer her prayers.

Artist Statement: In my design, the tree explains peace because everyone loves to read in a quiet place. The heart means you have to be nice to each other. Everyone loves the library. The library has lots of books. If you read the books you can learn things about this world.