Each year, I am impressed by the artistic ability exhibited by the young people in our community. One of our nation’s future prominent artists may very well be growing up here in our community.
I am proud to announce the beginning of the 2011 Congressional Art Competition. Created in 1982, this annual competition is a way to showcase the artistic talents of young people throughout the country. This contest supports and promotes the arts in our communities, and encourages artistic expression in our young neighbors. Competitions like this further develop creativity and original thought in our young people and will prove invaluable as they move forward with their education and careers.We are fortunate to again have the Dayton Art Institute as the host of the Third District’s Congressional Art Competition. The 60,000 square foot building is home to 26,000 pieces of art - spanning 5,000 years of history and is rated as “superb in quality” by the American Association of Museums. As a nationally recognized museum, students will have the honor of having their artwork displayed alongside the masterpieces created by world renowned artists.
Our annual Congressional Arts Competition is open to all high school students residing in Ohio’s Third Congressional District. All qualified entries will be on display from Saturday, April 16th through Sunday, May 1st in the North and South Gallery of The Dayton Art Institute. A special awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 1st from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Institute’s Gothic Cloister. The grand prize winner and runners-up will be announced and I will present each of the honorees with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. This event is open to the public; students, their families, and their teachers are encouraged to attend.
The first place winner will also win a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend a ceremony inside the U.S. Capitol, where their artwork will be on display alongside the work of Congressional Art Competition winners from across the nation. Hundreds of people will see their artwork every day. Scholarships are awarded to the grand prizewinner and runners-up as well. Specific details about the scholarships are yet to be determined, but will be delivered to students’ teachers in the next several weeks.
Teachers must schedule an appointment with the Dayton Art Institute to drop off students’ submissions. The dates for artwork submissions are Monday, April 11, and Tuesday, April 12, 2011. After the exhibition ends, teachers may then pick up student artwork between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3rd. Artwork cannot be taken down prior to the scheduled pick up date; therefore students should not submit artwork they will need during that time period.
Additional information regarding the 2011 Congressional Art Contest will be provided to local area teachers in the coming weeks. If you have any additional questions or are a home schooled student interested in participating, please contact Scott Rogers in my Dayton District Office at (937) 225-2843. You can also go to the Art Competition page on this website.
Each year, I am impressed by the artistic ability exhibited by the young people in our community. One of our nation’s future prominent artists may very well be growing up here in our community. This contest is a great opportunity to encourage that tremendous skill. I look forward to seeing the artwork produced by our talented youth as we begin to collect the pieces for the 2011 Congressional Art Competition.