South Bend, Ind. – Today, Congressman Joe Donnelly congratulated the winners of the 2011 Congressional Art Competition at Crossroads Gallery in South Bend. Over 100 local high school students participated in this year’s art competition. Donnelly announced that Ciara Scott, a student at Penn High School in Mishawaka, won first place for her entry, La Aflición de la Madre Cariñosa (The Affliction of the Caring Mother). Her winning entry will be on display in the Cannon Tunnel leading to the U.S. Capitol building for one year starting this June.
“I congratulate Ciara, our 2011 Congressional Art Competition winner, for her exceptional work,” said Donnelly. “I’m proud to host this event each year to recognize the artistic talent of high school students across Indiana’s Second Congressional District. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for high school students to build their portfolios for higher education in the field. I appreciate the hard work, creativity, and time that all of the students put into their submissions, and I thank them for participating.”
Awards were presented to:
• Ciara Scott for her 1st Place entry, La Aflición de la Madre Cariñosa (The Affliction of the Caring Mother), a linoleum block print piece. Ciara attends Penn High School in Mishawaka.
• Morgan Talos for her 2nd Place entry, The Drenching Climb, a digital photography piece. Morgan attends Marian High School in Mishawaka.
• Garrett Blad for his 3rd Place entry, Trapped, a watercolor on paper piece. Garret attends John Glenn High School in Walkerton.
Two Honorable Mentions were presented to:
• Kaitlin Martin for her entry, In the City, a digital art piece. Kaitlin attends St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend.
• Dexter Siberell for his entry, Vital Vision, a pastel on paper piece. Dexter attends Marian High School in Mishawaka.
Congressman Donnelly thanked the judges for this year’s competition: Coy Jankowski, a local artist who is the head of Zygys Design Group; Mark Rospenda, the Associate Curator at the South Bend Regional Museum of Art; Chris Stackowicz, Head of the Department of Visual Arts at Bethel College; and Cheryl Snay, the Curator of European Art at the University of Notre Dame’s Snite Museum of Art.
Donnelly also thanked The Frame Factory of South Bend for donating framing services for Ciara’s piece and Southwest Airlines for donating 2 roundtrip tickets to Washington, D.C. for Ciara and one of her parents to attend the Congressional Art Competition Grand Opening Ceremony.
Every spring since 1982, Members of Congress have sponsored a nationwide art competition for high school students. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition.
To view photos of the winning entries, please click here.
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