Young artists in Orange, Durham, Alamance, Person and Granville counties have a chance for their artwork to be displayed in quite the high-profile spot: U.S. Congress.
Rep. Valerie Foushee, who represents those counties in North Carolina District 4, shared details Thursday about the 2023 Congressional Art Competition — an annual competition for high school students who use visual arts. The competition is sponsored by members in the U.S. House of Representatives and happen across each of their districts.
“The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage artistic talent of high school students in the nation, as well as in our congressional district,” said Foushee’s office on her website. “This competition, known as An Artistic Discovery, is open to all high school students in the 4th District.”
Since its launch in 1982, the competition has seen more than 650,000 students submit artwork. In 2022, all 13 of North Carolina’s districts in the House of Representatives participated and received submissions.
The winning student artist from the N.C. 4 district will see their work displayed in the U.S. Capitol building for one year, while the second and third place artists will have their works displayed in Foushee’s Washington D.C. office and the Durham District office. An in-person reception will be held on Monday, April 24 in Durham to announce the winner and runner-up artists — while the winner will be invited to attend an annual awards ceremony in Washington D.C. later in the year.
The 2022 winning submission from NC District 4 was “Light in the Face of Tyranny” by Lana Olarte.
Submissions for the competition can be paintings, drawings, two-dimensional collages, print work, mixed media pieces, computer-generated art and photography. Competition rules dictate that artwork entered must be no bigger than 26 inches by 26 inches, no bigger than 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. The winning piece of artwork must arrive framed and still be within the maximum dimensions, according to Foushee’s office.
The deadline for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition is Wednesday, April 19.
This is the first year of Foushee’s involvement as a representative in the competition, as she was elected to replace the retiring Rep. David Price at the end of 2022.
To review the full rules for the 2023 contest, including copyright information, click here. To complete the required student release form, click here. The 2022 winners from North Carolina of the Congressional Art Competition can be viewed on the U.S. House of Representatives website.
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