"If a story's success can be measured by its cocktail conversation potential, this one is the life of the party. When we discovered that a Stanford professor of art history had studied the history of coloring--as in Crayola--we jumped on it. We know alumni value Stanford's contributions in the humanities and arts, but research from these fields can feel less than lively and difficult to make relevant to alumni readers. The coloring angle allowed us to simultaneously cover academic research in the arts and provide readers with practical (and fun!) advice.
We interviewed Assistant Professor of Art History Emanuele Lugli both for details about his work and his insight into what coloring does (and doesn't do) for us today. Then we asked illustrator Aurelia Fronty to create a coloring page (fittingly, of the Stanford Tree) and invited readers to color it *or* go much further, destroying the page entirely.
We heard from many readers how much they liked this story, and we did get a few "destroyed" trees--including one that was featured in the Letters to the Editor section of our next issue."
From the Judges
Excellent example of writing and creative thinking. Connected to audience and created tangible impact with audiences.
