When Mona Monahan won the Islanders pride t-shirt design contest last June during pride month, her goal was to convey inclusivity through her art.
“I hope that my piece shows that pride is about recognition and acceptance of a person’s authentic self,” Monahan said. “No matter if you’re a player, a fan or a part of the Long Island community, you deserve to express yourself and feel accepted, no matter what your orientation is.”
Monahan’s design will be showcased on Tuesday when the New York Islanders host the Vegas Golden Knights on their annual Pride Night at UBS Arena, where the special piece will be sold on t-shirts for fans to enjoy and resonate with. A portion of the proceeds from the t-shirt sales will benefit LGBTQIA+ programs supported by the Islanders Children’s Foundation.
"When I saw that I can use my artistic talents for awesome cause, I knew I had to do it," Monahan said. "You can make art for yourself, but design is for the masses. It can change people somehow, it can make a difference."
As graphic designer and recent college graduate living in Manhattan, Monahan certainly has an artistic eye. During her free time, she enjoys immersing herself in the culture of New York City by “people watching,” by sketching the eye-catching and interesting people bustling in the city as quickly as she can. In the early stages of creating a design for the Islanders Pride contest, she took a similar approach. Her attention to detail through careful observation ultimately sparked the inspiration behind her design.