Our Inspiring Golden Anniversary T-Shirt Design Contest Winner…Get Your 50th Anniversary Swag!
To honor the Golden Anniversary 50th Art & Wine Festival, the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce held a t-shirt design contest and received dozens of excellent submissions. Elaine Giles' design was chosen as the winner by our esteemed panel, taking home a $500 prize.
Due to popular demand, our online swag store is offering limited numbers of unique commemorative items at HALF PRICE while supplies last! Visit our big Swag City Merch Tent at the festival with t-shirts, ladies tank tops, towels, tote bags, magnets, plus wine and beer glasses of course!
Pop-Up Swag Store
Order your 50th Anniversary commemorative items at our online pop-up swag shop.
2022 T-shirt Design Contest winner designed by Elaine Giles.
Here’s our Q & A with Elaine:
What do you love about Mountain View?
Mountain View is and always will be home, and I feel so grateful to have grown up in such an amazing city. I love how Mountain View feels so welcoming and like a small town in many ways. I grew up walking distance from Castro Street and spent many hours in downtown Mountain View enjoying the local businesses, amazing food, and beautiful outdoor spaces.
Have you ever been to the festival before? If yes, what are your favorite things about it?
I have been to the festival before! I grew up going every year and remember the incredible food vendors and activities! As a young artist, it was always inspiring for me to see the art people created. It made me realize that I could pursue art as a career rather than just a side hobby, which was such a critical realization for me particularly being in a mainly STEM-focused area.
Tell us about your background and path to becoming an artist.
I have been creating art my entire life, but also felt strongly about pursuing social advocacy work as my career. I went to college in San Diego, where I studied Sociology and graduated in May 2020. I had a job lined up in the Philippines to pursue anti-trafficking work with the International Justice Mission. When COVID changed those plans, I was absolutely devastated. I moved back from San Diego to Mountain View and began posting the art that I was doing for fun online. Practically overnight my art went viral and I was encouraged to make it into a business. A year and a half later, I am living in San Francisco and doing art full-time. I have been able to continue pursuing my passion for advocacy work through donating a percentage of profits from my business to the Equal Justice Initiative and other nonprofits.
What type of things do you want to see us do to incorporate more local artists in the festival?
As someone who has attended a number of local fairs as a vendor, sometimes the biggest prohibiting factor can be the cost of the event. I think that having scholarships awarded for up and coming artists would be a great way to ensure that the cost of the booth space is not a prohibiting factor for new artists.
Anything else you want to share?
In the design, I wanted to incorporate the local landscapes that I love seeing in Mountain View! I make art inspired by the outdoors, and growing up in such an amazing geographical location has absolutely influenced that. My design features the mountains, redwoods, and California poppies that I grew up seeing around the city. I hope the design encourages people to appreciate and protect the beautiful spaces in our city!
