Ringling College students win Modern Pentathlon design competition

Everyone get to their marks because the Modern Pentathlon World Cup No. 1 is returning to Sarasota. Running from Feb. 17 to 22, the five-event marathon of cross-country running, equestrian, fencing, shooting and swimming will be hosted in Nathan Benderson Park with approximately 230 pentathletes from 40 countries will be particiaping in this international smorgasbord of athleticism and training. The Modern Pentathlon’s residency the past two years is the first time back in the United States in the last 40 years. This year’s festivities are the largest pentathlon event in United States history.

And though this five-event test of strength might seem to be all about the athleticism, local artists and arts organizations will play a major role in the pentathlon with performances by numerous local arts organizations and groups.

A critical example of that are the official designs and artwork for the pentathlon itself. The Sarasota Bradenton Modern Pentathlon Organizing Committee (SBMPOC) had a huge success last year by enlisting students from the Ringling College of Art & Design to design the current logo that features emblems representing all five events in one square and uniform logo. The SBMPOC kept this educational collaboration alive again this year by establishing an open contest for Ringling studtents to design their own posters and logos for this year’s event. 33 students participated with five students’ work being selected to cover posters, programs, t-shirts and other merchandise.

Katherine Harris, chair of the SBMPOC, presented the five student finalists including Cameron DeVol Kramer, an illustration senior, whose first-prize winning design will be the official poster for the six-day event. “It’s an incredible honor to collaborate with Ringling College students again,” says Harris, who was swelling with emotion. “This partnership is important in the students’ development as professional artists and represents all that’s good in the pentathlon’s future.”

The other student finalists include Kade O’Casey, an illustration junior, whose action-packed design will serve as the program cover and tote bag design; Hailey Patalano, illustration senior, will have her design featured on the official t-shirt; Kyle Beckett, an illustration junior, will also have his design on the official event t-shirt; and Katherine Granger, an illustration junior, will have her humorous and fun design featured on mugs and t-shirts for the pentathlon.

“It was great to take part in a project and apply it in a real world scenario,” says Kramer. “It was nice to test the waters and compete.” All five students agreed that it was great that they could, even as students, work and create art in a scenario similar to the rigors of the real post-graduate world responding to clients’ needs in their design artwork. “Even though I treated this like any assignment I have in class,” says O’Casey, “I thought about what in this case the client would have wanted.”

For her efforts, Kramer will receive a $500 scholarship from the SBMPOC. Kramer and the rest of her artistic peers’ work will be on display the Pentathlon Village in Nathan Benderson Park from Feb. 20 to 22 as well as being on sale at the madeby Gallery on the campus of the Ringling College of Art and Design from Feb. 10 to 28.

“We don’t believe in having starving artists here,” says Larry R. Thompson, president of Ringling College. “the Olympics use to have a major art piece each year and we wanted to bring that artistic tradition back.”