Each year, LA Opera holds the GRoW @ Annenberg Poster Contest, which invites college students in Southern California to submit artwork for one of our mainstage productions. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, Regina Weingarten and GRoW @ Annenberg, winners get a (pretty sweet) cash prize and the education and careers of these young people are given a tremendous boost. On top of that, LA Opera promotes their work to our audiences in all kinds of ways.
This year's contest was all about The Marriage of Figaro, and even though the show unfortunately can't go on, this poster contest can. We're still reviewing designs for this season's contest, and we look forward to celebrating the winners and promoting their works virtually. Check back soon for more details about our 2019/20 winners.
In the meantime, let's catch up with some of our past poster contest winners to see what they're up to.
Marshall Dahlin: 1st place winner, 2016/17 season, salomé
Marshall Dahlin received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from CSU Fullerton. He's now working for a small creative agency in the South Bay.
When asked about his experience in this contest, he said, "I am so thankful for the opportunity to be part of what GRoW @ Annenberg and LA Opera is doing. I am inspired [by] the generosity of GRoW @ Annenberg. I am inspired by the craft of LA Opera’s performances and how you are providing affordable tickets. You guys are impacting the arts and culture. I am blessed to have won the Salome poster contest… I am continuing to grow and learn. I am pursuing integrity, authenticity, craftsmanship, humility, love and respect in my personal life and in the work I put out.”
Ben Macias: 1st place winner, 2017/18 season, rigoletto
Ben Macias completed his undergraduate studies at Cal Arts and is currently working as a freelance designer for Nike.
Reflecting on the economic hardships he had faced, Macias said, “Winning the poster contest allowed me to finish my final year of college and get the career I’ve worked hard for. I don’t know if I could’ve done it without the generosity of LA Opera.”
Jesslyn bundy: 1st place winner, 2018/19 season, The Clemency of Titus
Jesslyn Bundy graduated from Cal State Northridge in May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design & Visual Communication. A month later, she was hired by Arsonal Design in Culver City to create key art for movies and television, which she says is her “dream job.”
“Participating in this contest was not only artistically inspiring, but intellectually [inspiring] as well! I thought it would be a great conceptual illustration challenge and would help expand my experience in illustration and key art. In order to create art for The Clemency of Titus, I had to research the opera and its peripheral context. I love learning in general but have a certain love for Greek and Roman stories.”
Brundy added: “I couldn't be more thankful to the LA Opera and the GRoW @ Annenberg Foundation. I had gone through a hard time financially and the grant helped me regain my positivity and move forward.”
If you want to read more about this year's contest and who some of our judges are, check out this page.
