The avenue in which art has to communicate and express is amazing!

Posted on June 1, 2013

by Trinity

It warms my heart when I get to witness a student, grow as an artist and as a person. A student of mine has won the Congressional Art Competition for the 1st Congressional District. Her artwork will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel in Washington, D.C. A tunnel that connects the Cannon House Office Building with the U.S. Capitol. Not only was this award amazing in itself, the artwork that was selected and the story behind the artwork is even greater.

From countless hours of work in capturing the likeness of a little girl (in which the student met while on a mission trip), to tears in the classroom one morning (when the drawing was brought back with tire treads and gravel evidence of being accidentally left on the roof of a car and ran over); this student artist was able to turn an unfortunate situation into a learning experience and grow from it. Showing great problem solving skills and a positive outlook on the situation, the student was reminded of certain world issues that children are faced with in that country as a result of the marks left by the tire treads. The student wrote a beautiful artist statement that went along with her artwork and shared her thoughts on the connection between what had happened to the art piece, to what the art piece symbolized to her.

I could not have been more proud of this student and her ability to turn a bad situation into a positive one. What a blessing it was to see her beaming with a smile from ear to ear when the congresswoman announced her name. Not only was the artwork acknowledged for its product of skill level, but the student was rewarded and, in a way, the little girl from a mission trip was also honored.

The avenue in which art has to communicate and express is amazing. And when a student is able to witness through their art and touch lives, that is even more amazing!

Along with the overall winner for the 2013 Congressional Art Competition for the 1st Congressional District, we also had three students receive Honorable Mentions. These students will have their artwork hung in the congresswoman’s office for one year. Read more about the results from this art competition through the Redmond Reporter’s article.