On Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Venus Williams made a return to tennis at the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open. On Thursday, March 22, the day following her first triumphant win, Venus held a reception at the InterContinental Miami to celebrate arts in Miami and to announce the winners of her Empowering Artists Through The Arts Tee-Shirt Contest; a contest giving 11 aspiring artists, who are part-time or full-time students in Miami-Dade County, Broward County or Palm Beach County, Florida, a chance to reveal their art to the world. Venus announced Billy Myrtil, from South Tech Academy, as the grand-prize winner.
Between December 17, 2011 and February 11, 2012, entries were accepted through www.EleVenByVenusContest.com and from the online entries, Venus personally selected 11 winners. The VIP reception was an exciting event for the winners as their artwork was displayed on canvas and will remain on display at the InterContinental Miami March 22 – April 22. The most exciting moment of the evening was when Venus announced Billy Myrtil as the grand-prize winner. As the grand-prize winner, Billy Myril’s tee-shirt design will be included in the Spring 2012 collection of Venus’ clothing line EleVen and, for a limited time, the winning tee-shirt will be sold at the InterContinental Miami and 100% of the proceeds will benefit New World School of the Arts.
As a fellow artist, Venus Williams launched the EleVen By Venus Williams Empowering Artists Through The Arts Tee-Shirt Contest to celebrate individual creativity, give back to the community, and empower aspiring artists to express their EleVen. Venus states, “This contest is my personal way of encouraging other artists to express themselves and provide support to those that nurture and develop the next generation of artists.” She adds, “We received so many amazing entries and selecting the final EleVen winners was not easy. I selected Billy Myril’s creation because it most closely resembled a design I would make for the collection. It fits very well into the upcoming EleVen line.”
Venus took this opportunity not only to celebrate aspiring artists in the Miami region, but to also support educators and those passionate about arts preservation.
The InterContinental Miami also took part in the celebration by offering the Empowering Spa Package. For a limited time, March 22 – April 22, this special package will be available offering; mySpa massage featuring 11 customized de-stress aromatherapy oils, a mini journey manicure and a mini journey pedicure all for a special price of $140 and 15% proceeds benefit New World School of the Arts.
