Columbia Falls artist rewarded for logo

By HEIDI DESCH

Hungry Horse News

Jocelyn Acheson's hobby as an artist landed her a pretty large award.

Acheson, 12, of Columbia Falls designed a logo for Native Hope, Pride and Strength Conference. It is the National Conference on Child Protection and Child Welfare in Indian Country.

The conference is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs and was held in New Mexico in June. Acheson's prize for winning the contest was a paid trip to the conference, a turquoise necklace and bracelet set and a clock with her design on it.

"When I first heard I won my brain went numb," she said in an interview.

She is the daughter of Drew and Julie Acheson.

Acheson originally heard about the logo design contest through her sister, who works for the Department of the Interior.

Acheson said that they were looking for a Native American child to do a design, but couldn't find one.

So Acheson, who is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa/Metis, stepped up.

Her logo features a circular design with a Native American parent holding a child and an eagle watching over both of them. The eagle's wings are wrapped in a circle over both.

"I used the native hope, pride and strength in the design and my family in the picture," she said.

The theme of the conference is that of being family-oriented, she explained.

Acheson said the eagle represents the great spirit or Lord and is holding the family together.

The eagle is very important to Native American beliefs and the spirituality it represents is the center of life, she explained.

It took Acheson about a week to decide on the design and then she went through two revisions after actually being named the winner.

She submitted a black and white design and that was later colored in.

This is the first contest that Acheson has entered, but she was already somewhat of an artist. She does acrylic painting and sculptures on her own and illustrated her class newspaper.

"It's a hobby," Acheson said. "I love my art work."

Acheson, who will be in the seventh grade in the fall, is also competing in the Northwest Montana Fair's Little Miss contest. She is also in a youth leadership program with the University of Montana.

The conference will continue to use the logo each year. It is on brochures, bags, sewing kits and various items.

Acheson was honored at the contest for her work and presented with a large poster version of the design.

She signed autographs and took pictures with people at the conference.

"It was interesting," she said.

And she also admitted a bit strange to be signing autographs.

Through the conference she also got offers to be a junior writer for a children's magazine and to create other designs.