2016 Cup Art Contest Winner New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy Student Darrell Donaldson

The winner of the 2016 annual Mardi Gras Cup Art Contest is Darrell Donaldson of New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy. The annual competition is an activity planned by the Muses Community Outreach Committee. Muses Board member and Chair of Community Outreach Kathy Conklin said, “The artistic talent shown in the submissions continues to amaze us every year. We are proud to support art programs across the Greater New Orleans Area. Our mission is to ensure that students like Darrell have opportunities to express themselves artistically and contribute to the rich culture of Mardi Gras and of our city.”

The cup design is printed on more than 80,000 cups, which will be thrown by Krewe members from the Muses floats on Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. In addition, Darrell’s design, along with submitted artwork from eight other artists and artwork from each year the Krewe has rolled, are currently featured in the “Krewe of Muses Mardi Gras Student Cup Design Exhibition” at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

This year, students were asked to design artwork inspired by this year’s slogan from ancient Greek poet Hesiod, “Happy are they whom the Muses love.” Darrell’s winning design depicts symbols of literature, science, and the arts sent down from the sky by the Goddesses to rejoicing people below. In Greek mythology, the Muses are the Greek goddesses who preside over the arts and sciences. They were believed to inspire artists, especially poets, philosophers and musicians. The Krewe of Muses holds this contest each year to celebrate both the artistic and the educational aspects of the nine goddesses.