Artwork from a 17-year-old Calgary girl has been chosen to grace the 2020 Calgary Stampede poster, making her the youngest winner of the organization’s annual competition.
The pastel drawing from Ariel Clipperton, which was unveiled on Monday, offers a behind-the-scenes look at a cowboy competing in the rodeo.
“Ariel’s work is a unique perspective,” Calgary Stampede president Dana Peers said in a news release. “A competitor’s point of view of the Calgary Stampede rodeo is something we don’t see often.”
“I wanted everyone looking at the poster to connect in one way or another,” Clipperton explained.
“Whether you can see yourself in the crowd or as the cowboy, I wanted it to be a piece that everyone can connect to and that is where I found my inspiration.”
More than 100 hours of work went into the piece, Clipperton said.
“When I saw the poster from the very first one in 1912, I wanted to choose something that hasn’t been done before and a behind-the-scenes look into the rodeo with the cowboy and the grandstand — both huge symbols of the Stampede — and I thought that combining the two together would create a really interesting piece,” she said.
The poster artwork was unveiled at the Calgary French & International School, which Clipperton has attended since pre-school.
“Being able to get this exposure at such a young age is honestly kind of hard to wrap my head around,” she said. “I’m so excited for what it brings to me in the future and I’m super excited for people to see my art.”
The poster will be distributed worldwide with more than 30,000 copies printed and will be seen on official Stampede merchandise.
As the winner of the 2020 Calgary Stampede poster competition, Clipperton will also receive a $10,000 scholarship.
The Calgary Stampede is accepting applications from Albertans ages 15 to 24 for the poster competition, with a deadline of Nov. 30.
The 2020 Calgary Stampede runs from July 3-12.