Enter the Fall 2024 Hite Institute of Art + Design T-Shirt Design Competition

Sept. 11, 2024

By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences

The Hite Institute of Art + Design is hosting its second annual T-Shirt design competition, now open to all undergraduate art students. This contest is rooted in the institute’s legacy of protecting freedom of expression and amplifying the multitude of varied creative voices needed to enrich the human experience.

“The T-shirt design competition was inspired by our commitment to fostering creative expression and supporting artistic voices in challenging times,” said Chris Reitz, Director, Hite Institute of Art + Design; Associate Professor, Critical and Curatorial Studies. “The Hite Art Institute was endowed by a bequest from Marcia and Allen Hite in 1946. That year, the University’s art history program was chaired by Justus Bier, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany.”

Although the Hite gift came with relatively little explanation, Barry Bingham, in a biography of Allen Hite compiled in honor of the bequest, argued that the Hites understood Nazism to mark the end of European protection for advanced art.

“America, in their minds, would need to serve that role for the future,” Reitz said.

That future continues now as Hite undergraduate students are called to submit their T-shirt designs before the deadline of Sept. 20 at midnight.

Sara Noori, program coordinator at Hite, said that as an artist, it is important to remember that the work lives on and lends itself to future generations and historical perspectives as well.

"As students and as art students, you really become a part of history when you realize, this going to live on... your voice really matters,” she states. “It has an impact on the community that’s not only aesthetic, but also standing for something that they believe in.”

The contest offers a grand prize of $500 credited to the winner's student account or an iPad, along with five free t-shirts featuring the winning design. The contest is open to full-color designs without restrictions, but the text included must read, “The Hite Institute of Art + Design: Protecting Art from Fascism since 1946.” Designs should not exceed 16 x 20 inches and must be submitted as a PNG file at 300 dpi.

The contest will follow a structured voting process. After an initial round of voting, the top three designs will be selected, with the final winner announced before the Hite holiday party later this fall semester. The winning design will be printed on T-shirts distributed to students, faculty, and staff on campus, and also will be shared through Hite’s social media presence.

"The competition provides a platform for students to address and engage with current social and political themes, and to connect them to a long history of artmaking in the region,” Reitz said. “It also reminds students of the stakes of the founding of the Hite Art Institute, and the importance of academic and creative work. With the long view of history, it becomes clear how precarious the arts are."

Art can be used as a tool for resistance, he states.

The Hite Student T-Shirt Design Competition is a powerful way for art students to engage with the institute’s legacy, make a statement, and leave their mark on the community.

For more details on how to participate or to submit an entry, email Sara Noori at sara.noori@louisville.edu.