Congressional Art Competition Spotlights High School Works At Bucks

NEWTOWN, PA — Bucks County Community College invites the public to the 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition March 18 to April 5, inside the Hicks Art Center Gallery, including an awards ceremony and reception on Sunday, March 29.

High school art teachers have selected their students’ best work for the exhibition and for submission to the Congressional Art Competition, held in every congressional district each spring. The first-place winning artwork will be sent to Washington, D.C., to be displayed in the corridors of the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for a year,
representing Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.

Clifford Eberly, the college’s senior manager of galleries and exhibitions, said the show is an opportunity to see youthful ingenuity flourish.

Crowds like this one last year are expected to visit the 31 st Annual High School Art Exhibition at Bucks County Community College’s Hicks Art Center Gallery. The show, which includes a Congressional Art Competition, runs form March 18 to April 5. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01) will announce the winner during a reception Sunday, March 29. (Mel Evans)

“Now in my fifth year of working with high school instructors and their students for this annual exhibition, I have seen the breadth of astounding creativity from the county’s young artists, and it is truly inspiring,” said Eberly. “It is important for us to foster art and culture in our region while promoting the legacy of Bucks as a vital source of creative education.”

A reception takes place from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 29, in room 100 of the Hicks Art Center, featuring an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. presented by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01), who will announce the winning entry. The reception features free refreshments and an opportunity to meet the young artists and their instructors.

The Hicks Art Center Gallery is located on the campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, where there is ample free parking. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is also open Sunday, March 29, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. for the reception and awards ceremony.

All events are free and open to the public. To learn more, visit hicksgallery.bucks.edu, email gallery@bucks.edu, or call 215-968-8432.

Isabel Steiner from Council Rock High School North won the 2025 1st Congressional District High School Art Competition for “The Attic” (graphite on paper, 2024), which has been displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for the past year. This year, the 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition and Congressional Art Competition takes place from March 18 to April 5 at Bucks County Community College’s Hicks Art Center Gallery. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01) will announce this year’s winner at a reception and ceremony Sunday, March 29. (Mel Evans)