By Sarah Klein
The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ will raise 21 street banners to celebrate the Year of the Dragon in Chinatown this evening. The banners are part of the BIZ’s annual Chinatown Banner Competition and coincide with Chinese New Year.
Fifty-seven entries in total were submitted this year — up from 48 last year — and includes the winning banner design of Red River College student Jessica Constable. The second-year Graphic Design student will receive a $400 honorarium, with an additional $400 going to the spring Creative Arts Graphic Design Open House.
“I decided to illustrate a fairly traditional looking dragon but to have him emerging from the water, not looking too fierce but powerful,” Constable said. “The colours I chose for the dragon are different shades of orange, red and yellow; making him vibrant and stand out. Dragons are powerful creatures and deserve to be depicted in that manner.”
The banner will be officially unveiled at the Chinese New Year Banquet at Kum Koon Garden, 257 King Street, at 6:30 p.m. All of the banner submissions will be on display in a storefront window on the second level of Portage Place near the escalators to Staples until March 9.
