Congressional Art Competition 2018 Winners Announced

Teen artists along with their parents and judges gathered at Dublin Civic Center over the weekend for a reception and award ceremony and to display their artworks that were entered for the Congressional Art Competition for 2018.

The annual competition is sponsored by the Congressional Institute and is a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent within each congressional district and ultimately across the nation . According to the competition website since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

High school students from throughout the Congressman’s East Bay district submitted 60 paintings, drawings, collages, photographs and other works of art, which were judged by a panel of distinguished 15th Congressional District artists and business owners.

The first-place winner was Zoe Medlin, a sophomore at California High School in San Ramon, for her oil painting entitled, “Look Me In The Face.” Zoe’s described her work as depicting “a young woman, seated, with a bag over her head, (who) represents the countless unknown women of the world waiting to be seen and heard.”

Zoe’s work will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year, and she will receive round-trip airfare to Washington, D.C., to attend the unveiling ceremony.

In second place was Jennifer Liu, a junior at Dublin High School, with the oil painting, “Companion.” And in third place was Shangxi Wu, a sophomore at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, with the pastel painting, “Old Man in Costume.” The second- and third-place winners’ work will be displayed in Rep. Swalwell’s district office in Castro Valley.

The Congressman also selected two pieces for display in his office.

In his remarks Congressman Swalwell noted that the artwork entered for the Competition represents the mosaic of diversity in each congressional district and that the collection of beautiful pieces reflect the best aspects of what our communities have to offer.

Entries were invited from all high school students in California's 15th Congressional District and artworks were judged by a panel of local artists. The over-all winner of each district’s competition will be displayed alongside other contest winners in Washington , the U.S. Capitol, for one year.

All entries were required to be an original creation in concept, design and execution, and not in violation of U.S. copyright law.

Local artists from the Dublin Art Collective were included in the judging panel and they reported that the quality of submissions was outstanding.

The art community in Dublin is flourishing and plans are underway to form a Dublin Arts Association to better meet the needs of local artists and to form partnerships with the art associations from neighboring cities. Ultimately the goal is to create a tri-valley wide artistic hub to foster creative and artistic endeavor and interaction that will be a drawcard for both artists and art lovers.

The next major event will be the first TEDx in Dublin on May 6 where work from local artists will also be featured. The artists who will have pieces on show at TEDx EmeraldGlenPark include Jill Tishman, May Yin Giang, Nana-Dictta Graves and Jade Cohen.

Another opportunity for teen artists to exhibit their work will be the Tri-Valley Youth Expo on May 19th in Emerald Glen Park. Teens wishing to display artwork need to apply by May 12.