Employees from the Savannah River Site (SRS) were recognized for their creativity at the Aiken Center for the Arts (ACA) during a recent art openin...
November 21, 2019
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AIKEN, S.C. – November 21, 2019 – Employees from the Savannah River Site (SRS) were recognized for their creativity at the Aiken Center for the Arts (ACA) during a recent art opening event for “Snap SRS,” an employee-led wall art contest aimed at promoting pride of ownership, improving facility aesthetics and boosting workplace morale through art.
“This contest was for every level of leadership, from interns to highly experienced employees who have been working on site for several years,” said Thomas Johnson, DOE-Savannah River Deputy Manager. “We have a highly talented workforce in the visual arts, and this contest gave us an opportunity to make SRS a more compelling place to work.”
During the summer of 2019, all site personnel had the opportunity to submit their original works in four categories: SRS Scenery, Science as Art, Nuclear Knowledge and Local Scenery. Employees could submit up to five images, and 246 eligible entries were received May 7-June 28.
Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) employees Carol Kestin and John Gordon take a look at Kestin’s photograph “Dragon Scale,” during the opening of the Snap SRS art contest exhibit at the Aiken Center for the Arts (ACA).
A jury panel reviewed the submissions anonymously. The panel was comprised of representatives from major site entities including Department of Energy-Savannah River, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), Savannah River Remediation, Centerra and Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
After much deliberation, the jurors selected 33 images for display in prominent buildings across SRS. These top images were also contenders in the “People’s Choice Award” online poll. During a two-week voting period, 2,137 unique respondents cast their ballot for their favorite artwork in each of the four categories. This phase of judging was also anonymous because the only information available were the images, titles and captions.
The Snap SRS concept was by SRNS LEAP (Leaders Emerging Among Professionals) members Caroline Reppert and Grace Halverson. The pair pitched the idea during LEAP Shark Tank in 2017, an event that allowed early-career professionals to compete for the most innovative idea to members of senior management and was based on the hit television series Shark Tank.
The Snap SRS exhibit will be available for viewing in the Brooks Gallery at the ACA through Friday, Dec. 6. The ACA is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The workforce at SRS is comprised of nearly 12,000 employees, from engineers and scientists to business professionals, construction workers and emergency responders. Our skills and talents are very diverse, which made the artistic expressions captured during this initiative so impressive” said Stuart MacVean, SRNS President and CEO.
Media Contacts:
DT Townsend
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
(803) 952-7566, [email protected]
Monte Volk
U.S. Department of Energy
(803) 952-8283, [email protected]