The last time Brian Begley entered any kind of art contest was in 1993. The judges loved his environmental safety poster so much that they awarded him a tree to plant at his elementary school.
Fast-forward 20+ years. After his wife nudged him to enter the Art of Tröegs contest, he once again wowed the judges. This time, the lifelong sneaker lover retrofitted a size 13 pair of Nike Dunks with Tröegs labels and bottlecaps, bringing home $500 and earning top billing at the brand-new Art of Tröegs Gallery.
“I’ve always had a love of sneakers,” says Brian. “Growing up, I’d dream up new designs and get them down on paper. So for this contest, I thought, ‘Why not actually create a pair?’”
We’ve been doing the Art of Tröegs contest for over a decade now, and each year it gets bigger and better.
The challenge is simple: Take a piece of Tröegs – bottlecaps, cans, labels, whatever – and create a piece of art. It can be flat. It can be 3-dimensional. It can be anything you dream up. We’ll choose our favorite piece, and the winner will get $500 and take over Brian’s spot front and center in the Art of Tröegs Gallery. Opening party included.
The stoke the fires of creativity, we’ve enlisted the help of a few of our favorite artists. Watch our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts to see inspiration pieces from ceramicist Brooke Hine of Philadelphia and painters Brian Dowdall of Baltimore and Dave Pollot of Rochester.
Over the next month and a half, we’ll also be hosting dozens of Art of Tröegs parties at some of our favorite bars and restaurants. Join us to get your hands on a super-fun activity book — the Tröegs Book of Beer-Drinking Curiosities — that includes beer-centric puzzles, games and coloring.
So, it’s time for you to get busy making some art (Brian’s shoes took 42 hours to make … including drinking time!). Submissions are due by Saturday, May 13. For details on the contest and how to submit your work, visit troegs.com/art.
“If you have a passion, even if you think you’re not artistic, give it a try,” says Brian. “Just go for it.”