For Saugerties High School graduate (Class of ’09) Julia Yates, having her artwork chosen as this year’s Hudson Valley Garlic Festival poster was “a dream come true.”
“A lot of the credit goes to my high-school art teacher, Judith Mohns,“ Yates said at this past weekend’s festival. “I entered the contest when I was younger but wasn’t chosen. And I always intended to try again.”
Each year the Kiwanis Club’s poster committee chaired by Peg Nau puts out the call via the festival’s website: HVGF.org, click on the poster contest for an entry form.
“We usually get seven or eight entries,” said Nau, “and then we narrow that down to three, and festivalgoers get to vote on the one they want to be the following year’s poster.”
The work of the three finalists have to be aware of certain needs. “Basically they have to be something that would reproduce well on our posters, sweatshirts, tee shirts, and bags that we sell at the festival,” Nau explained, “and the publicity items we do to advertise it.”
Yates may have had a leg up on the other artists’ whose works were voted on at last year’s garlic festival. After graduating Saugerties High School, she majored in visual arts at the University of Delaware. She is now a graphic artist and art director with the Fingerpaint marketing agency in Saratoga.
“I’ve always loved art, and in high school Mrs. Mohns suggested that I take graphic arts in college, which lead me to my career, and helped me win this contest,” Yates said.
Her biggest supporters, her family, “have really taken to me winning the contest,” Yates said.
At the garlic festival she was surrounded by a jovial family group of uncles, aunts and her mom. Everywhere this group goes, they are talking up their niece and bragging about her accomplishment.
Join the family! 
