Author Spotlight
Campbell Wood
When 8-year-old Dee Wright won her first art contest, it felt like the coolest thing ever. She prided herself in out-drawing all the other kids in the contest, which was announced on an advertisement on TV — her Tony the Tiger drawing from the Frosted Flakes cereal box was articulated with perfect little-kid imperfection.
Dee doodled. Her worksheets and class notes were bordered with designs — even though she got criticized for them by her peers. “But why?” Dee thought. “Was it wrong to express yourself through art?”
But her prize from the art contest told her otherwise — a signed photo of Mr. Green Jeans. Receiving an autograph from a character from one of her favorite TV shows growing up, “Captain Kangaroo,” made her feel that there was a place where someone could cheer for her art.
Since then, Dee has switched roles and is now the one cheering for students’ artwork within the Shawnee Mission School District. As the Vice President for Cultural Arts and East’s Citizenship Writing Contest Chair, she helps organize the district’s art contests: the Citizenship Writing Contest and the Reflections Contest.
Caroline Wood | The Harbinger Online “Once you graduate…we then sensationalize the writers, the artists,” Dee said. “We can’t wait to get their books, we can’t wait to watch the movies, we can’t wait to hear their music. Why is it that we don’t get that same respect in high school years? Why aren’t the band members the rock stars? Why aren’t we going ‘look at the video they made’ or ‘look at the art they made.’”
Dee loves the complex and diverse palette behind art. She loves seeing the different interpretations of the contest’s theme between the 7-year-old’s painting and the senior’s poem.
The Reflections Contest is for students of all ages, while the Citizenship one is only for middle and high schoolers. But both contests usually stick to more vague themes like “a look within” or “the leader in me.” Dee says this allows the student to choose what message they’d like to convey in their piece.
To Dee, it’s a privilege. She gets to see through the eyes of a younger generation — experience the loneliness and heartache that middle schoolers display in their art, the mental and physical challenges that high schoolers face and choose to give her a glimpse of. It’s courage, and it’s beautiful.
“I don’t feel lost as long as I’m around art,” Dee said.
Both of her now-graduated boys embraced art like she did, with Jackson working towards being a writer and Davis recently taking culinary classes. When she was focused on raising her two boys when they were younger, art stepped back into her rear-view mirror. But her boys helped her to find a way to incorporate art within their lives.
Having two sons who were adopted from Korea made her want to ensure that kids experienced cultural diversity in a positive way. She’d arrange assemblies at Brookwood Elementary and bring in cowboys with their counting horses, Native American dancers and a jazz musician whose instrument was wine glasses filled with ice water.
When the kids — especially the sixth graders who tried avoiding “childish” things — were moving to the music or awe-stricken by what they learned, Dee knew she had done her job.
“I just really worked hard to make sure that the kids were getting cultural events and arts events,” Dee said. “And that’s kind of why I do this, to make sure that happens and make sure that the programs are in the schools.”
When Dee was in high school, she considered getting her degree in art, despite being told she’ll never make enough money, or that she should get a degree that “counts.”
Going against the naysayers, Dee’s art teacher pushed her to study abroad in Europe and major in art. Her teacher believed in her so much, she even filled out Dee’s application. But Europe would be a big change — moving to another country and being away from her family wasn’t a change Dee was ready to make.
Ultimately, Dee ended up working as a family law caseworker, but her allegiance towards art would later lead her towards getting her art degree.
After moving to Kansas City and discovering the West Bottoms Antiques District, she only had one thing to say — “I’ve found my people.” And like her art teacher motivating her, Dee helps support women artists through featuring them and their work in her store.
This foundation for providing artistic support carries back to her passion for organizing the art contests for the district. She wants students to know that they’ve achieved something great and that she’s proud of them. Seeing their faces light up when they find the awards reminds her of why she does it: for the kids.
A few years ago, there was a boy whose poem won first place in the Citizenship contest. With Spanish as his first language, he wrote the entire poem using phonetics and had 14 family members dressed in their nicest clothes cheering him on as he walked down the rows of people to receive his medal. It brought tears to Dee’s eyes when she announced his name.
He was the first person in his family to win an academic award.
“Every time when I think I need to pass the baton to someone else, and we have this award ceremony and all the kids come walking down and they look so darn cute, it reels me right back in and I go, ‘Okay, I gotta do it again,’” Dee said.
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