After their proposal for a window design was selected, art teachers, Rebekah Pilypaitis and Traci Young decorated the windows of Corky Canvas, located at 3157 Farnam St, for the family friendly holiday event known as Miracle on Farnam. The design “Fontenelle Fantasia” was one of the 23 different pieces of artwork chosen for a larger contest.

The theme for this year’s design was The Perfect Gift. To Young and Pilypaitis, Omaha was the perfect idea since they believe it’s a wonderful gift to live in the city.

The pair chose to focus on Fontenelle Forest as inspiration for their display. By doing so, the two were able to incorporate animals such as a deer, an owl, a squirrel and some cardinals into their artwork.

At first, Long was a bit worried. As a new mom, she feared she wouldn’t have the time to complete the project.

“Once we actually started working on it I got really excited,” Long said. “As we started to actually assemble it in the store, the excitement only grew. I couldn’t wait to see it all come together.”

The window design uses cardboard to create a 3D woodsy scene and took two days to assemble in the store. To make the materials ahead of time, Long used masking tape to break off a section of the classroom with the same measurements of the window so she and Pilypaitis could create the design at school.

Pilypaitis was the one who originally heard of the contest and informed Long of the opportunity.
A scavenger hunt is part of the event. For their piece- piece number 19- the words joy, love, equality, peace and be kind are hidden within their artwork.

The Miracle on Farnam event allows nonprofits, students and individual artists to share their creations on the different window displays. While Long and Pilypaitis finished setting up the window on Nov. 17, the decorations will remain up till Tuesday Jan. 1.

Different designs from various artists and nonprofits are located along Farnam street and Turner Boulevard to 33rd street. They can be found in shops like Cold Stone Creamery and Culprit Cafe.

The public is able to vote for the piece they think is the best. Cash prizes are awarded for first through third place with first place receiving $1000 and second and third receiving $500 and $250 respectively.

Voting is open until Dec. 25, with one vote allowed per browser. As of Dec. 9, Long and Pilypaitis’s “Fontenelle Fantasia” design was sitting in sixth place with around two percent of the vote. People can vote at midtowncrossing.com under the events and Miracle on Farnam tab.

Traci Long
On Nov. 17, art teacher Rebekah Pilypaitis sets up a winter window design at Corky Canvas. The theme for this year’s Miracle on Farnam event was “The Perfect Gift.” Both Pilypaitis and cocreator Traci Long were inspired by Omaha, and more specifically, Fontenelle Forest.