IS OKAY. SO FAR. SO THE SEARCH IS OVER. YESTERDAY, KETV POSTED A DRAWING FROM A STUDENT NAMED MEREDITH ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, HOPING TO FIND HER FOR THE CREATE THE CRAYOLA CAMPAIGN FOR CREATIVITY. HOURS AFTER BEING POSTED, WE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM MEREDITH AND TODAY IS THE FUN FAIR DROOL SPOKE WITH THE ARTIST. IN 1996, MEREDITH DURKIN WON CRAYOLA’S DREAM MAKERS COMPETITION. THERE WAS A HIGHLIGHT OF PROBABLY THAT THAT WHOLE YEAR FOR ME, TO BE HONEST. CRAYOLA KEPT HER DRAWING, BUT NOW THEY HOPE TO REUNITE ARTISTS LIKE DURKIN WITH WITH THEIR ART. THE PIECE WAS TITLED A NICE QUIET EVENING IN THE PARK, OR SO SHE THOUGHT. A NICE, QUIET EVENING IN THE PARK, WHICH IS WHAT I THOUGHT THAT I WROTE. BUT IT CAME BACK AND THEN I READ THE PLAQUE AND IT SAID A NICE QUIET EVENING IN THE PARK. AND I SAID, MOM, EM THIS. WHY DOES IT SAY QUIET? AND THEY LOOKED WELL, THAT’S WHAT YOU WROTE. THE PIECE WILL HOPEFULLY BE REUNITED WITH DURKIN SOON. ASIDE FROM ART, SHE’S ALSO AN AWARD WINNING POET. THIS IS FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE MIDWEST LIKE SOMEBODY IN HERE FROM SIOUX CITY AND FROM KANSAS AND SO ON. AND THEY CHOSE HER POEM ABOUT RAINBOWS TO TO BE IN HERE. SO SHE’S ALWAYS BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN DOING CREATIVE KINDS OF THINGS. THAT INTEREST SPILLED OVER INTO DANCE, CLARINET, CHOIR, PIANO AND MORE. WHILE SHE DOESN’T DO ART ANYMORE, BUT SHE CHERISHES THE MEMORY OF WINNING. I DON’T EVER WIN ANYTHING LIKE NOTHING. SO THIS IS LIKE A HUGE DEAL. AND I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF YOU KNOW, MY FRIENDS AND WHATEVER. AND EVERYONE’S LIKE, OH MY GOD. LIKE I, YOU KNOW. GO WIN AN OSCAR OR SOMETHING. AND SO DOES HER MOTHER. I WAS REALLY, UH, HAPPY THAT SHE WAS REWARDED FOR SOMETHING THAT SHE ENJOYED DOING. IZZY. FANFARE DEUE
Quite an evening at the park: Omaha artist found for Crayola elementary school campaign
Updated: 4:35 PM CDT Jun 6, 2024
In 1996, Meredith Dierking won Crayola's "Dream Makers" art competition. She was 9 years old and in fourth grade at Swanson Elementary. "It was the highlight of the whole year for me, to be honest," Dierking said.At the time, Crayola kept her drawing in their archives, but now they hope to reunite artists like Dierking with their art. It's part of their "Campaign for Creativity," an effort to promote creativity for both children and their parents.The piece was titled "A nice quiet evening in the park" — or so Dierking thought."'A nice quiet evening in the park,' which is what I thought that I wrote, but it came back, and I read the plaque, and it said, 'A nice quite evening in the park.' I said, 'Mom, what is this? Why does it say "quite?"' and they looked at it and said, 'Well, that's what you wrote,'" Dierking said. Aside from art, she's also an award-winning poet. In 1998, a poem of hers was printed in a collection of poetry from students around the region. "This is from people all over the Midwest, like somebody's in here from Sioux City and from Kansas and so on, and they chose her poem about rainbows to be in here," said Kathy Leach, Dierking's mother. "She's always been very interested in creative kinds of things."That creative interest spilled over into dance, clarinet, choir, piano and more. Her parents are both creatives, a piano player and guitarist respectively, and they encouraged her to exercise those artistic abilities.While she doesn't do much art anymore, she cherishes the memories. Winning the competition is one of her favorites."I don't ever win anything, like nothing, so this was a huge deal," Dierking recalled. "I was in the middle of all my friends, and everyone's acting like I won an Oscar or something."And it's also one of her mother's. "I was really happy that she was rewarded for something that she enjoyed doing," Leach said. Dierking and Crayola will be in contact over the next several days to get the art back into her hands.Click here for the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7
OMAHA, Neb. — In 1996, Meredith Dierking won Crayola's "Dream Makers" art competition. She was 9 years old and in fourth grade at Swanson Elementary.
"It was the highlight of the whole year for me, to be honest," Dierking said.
At the time, Crayola kept her drawing in their archives, but now they hope to reunite artists like Dierking with their art. It's part of their "Campaign for Creativity," an effort to promote creativity for both children and their parents.
The piece was titled "A nice quiet evening in the park" — or so Dierking thought.
"'A nice quiet evening in the park,' which is what I thought that I wrote, but it came back, and I read the plaque, and it said, 'A nice quite evening in the park.' I said, 'Mom, what is this? Why does it say "quite?"' and they looked at it and said, 'Well, that's what you wrote,'" Dierking said.
Aside from art, she's also an award-winning poet. In 1998, a poem of hers was printed in a collection of poetry from students around the region.
"This is from people all over the Midwest, like somebody's in here from Sioux City and from Kansas and so on, and they chose her poem about rainbows to be in here," said Kathy Leach, Dierking's mother. "She's always been very interested in creative kinds of things."
That creative interest spilled over into dance, clarinet, choir, piano and more. Her parents are both creatives, a piano player and guitarist respectively, and they encouraged her to exercise those artistic abilities.
While she doesn't do much art anymore, she cherishes the memories. Winning the competition is one of her favorites.
"I don't ever win anything, like nothing, so this was a huge deal," Dierking recalled. "I was in the middle of all my friends, and everyone's acting like I won an Oscar or something."
And it's also one of her mother's.
"I was really happy that she was rewarded for something that she enjoyed doing," Leach said.
Dierking and Crayola will be in contact over the next several days to get the art back into her hands.
Click here for the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7
