NEWSROOM

The museum has been chosen as a local partner for the fifth annual Doodle 4 Google contest, which invites kindergarten through 12^th-grade students nationwide to draw their rendition of the Google logo for a chance to see it displayed on the online search engine’s homepage.

“We are excited to be the local partner for Oklahoma,” said Glen Gentele, the museum’s president and CEO, in a statement. “This is an amazing opportunity for students to attempt a redesign of the Google logo.”

March 23 is the final deadline for students to submit their drawings for the contest. The museum is hosting a special Drop-In Art event in which youngsters can work on their Google doodles from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.

“We’ll have the entry forms available, and we’ll have artists on hand to help the children create their doodles. We’re inviting everyone from the community to come to the museum that day and do their doodle submissions,” said Chandra Boyd, the museum’s curator of education.

The doodles should reflect this year’s contest theme: “If I could travel in time, I’d visit ….”

“Google, they have their team of doodlers that create all those fantastic drawings for special holidays and birthdays and occasions throughout the year, and then what they are asking now is that students K-12 create a doodle,” Boyd said.

“The idea is time travel, so they’re using that theme to kind of guide the designs. It’s a two-dimensional design, so they (children) can paint it, they can draw it, print, whatever media they want to use that creates a two-dimensional image.”

After March 23, a team of Google artists and guest judges — including pop star Katy Perry, “Phineas & Ferb” cartoon creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and “American Idol” Jordin Sparks — will help choose the top doodles from each of the 50 states.

On May 2, Google will open up online balloting for the contest, and one winner from each of the five grade groupings will be chosen by a public vote. First prize will be awarded on May 17, and the overall winner’s doodle will be showcased May 18 on Google.com.

In addition, the winning doodler will take home a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school. Crayola has partnered with Google this year, and the winner’s artwork will appear on a special edition of the 64-crayon box, too.

Google also has teamed up with art, science and children’s museums across the country to display the artwork of each state’s finalists. The Oklahoma museum joins prestigious institutions — including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in Texas; the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in California; and the National Museum of Play — participating in the contest.

Google representatives reached out to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and invited the institution to become its local partner and venue for exhibiting the works of the contest’s 10 Oklahoma finalists. The finalists will be shown this summer in the museum’s first-floor Founders’ Hall.

“They discovered we had a great community outreach program,” said communications manager Leslie Spears. “That made us very proud.”

Last year, the Doodle 4 Google contest received 107,000 student submissions from all over the country. Matteo Lopez, a second grader at Monte Verde Elementary School in South San Francisco, Calif., was picked as the victor.

The Oklahoma City museum is spreading the word about the contest through the state’s public school districts, private schools, homeschool organizations, parents groups and more so that as many state children as possible have the opportunity to participate.

“It really is such a benefit to them, the fact that they’re exploring their creativity, and they’re using this fun time-travel theme,” Boyd said. “Kids just have the best imaginations … and their brains get started and they have these great ideas.”

At the Feb. 25 event, the museum will help students submit their entries. Parents and teachers who want to submit a doodle on behalf of their children can get entry forms and submission information at www.google.com/doodle4google. Only one contest entry is allowed per student.

GOING ON

Doodle 4 Google Drop-In Art

When: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.

Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.

Cost: Free with museum admission.

Information: www.okcmoa.com or 236-3100, ext. 231.

Doodle 4 Google timeline

Feb. 25: Oklahoma City Museum of Art will host a Doodle from 1 to 4 p.m.

March 23: Deadline for all doodles to be submitted to Google

May 2: The best doodle from each of the 50 states will be displayed at the Google 4 Doodle website. Public voting will begin at 8 a.m. May and close at 7 p.m. May 10.

May 17: First prize will be awarded to the winning doodler in a ceremony in New York City.

May 18: The winner’s doodle will be showcased on Google.com.

Summer: The top 10 Oklahoma finalists will have their doodles exhibited at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (Exact dates to be determined).

-BAM