March 6, 2015
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Eight young artists have been selected as winners in the annual Congressional Art Competition which is on display in the Balcony Gallery of the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston through April 6. The exhibition is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts (WVDEA) and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History (WVDCH).
On Tuesday, March 3, Cabinet Secretary Kay Goodwin of the WVDEA welcomed guests, and Deputy Commissioner Caryn Gresham of the WVDCH, Aaron Metz, representing Congressman David McKinley, Fred Joseph, representing Congressman Alex Mooney and Michael Chirico, representing Congressman Evan Jenkins presented first-place awards to Boku Kondo of Ravenswood High School, Ravenswood, Jackson County; Brooklyn Lily of Pike View High School, Princeton, Mercer County; and Brooke Shull of Bridgeport High School, Bridgeport, Harrison County. The first-place winners received a $100 gift certificate from Dick Blick Art Materials and their work will represent West Virginia in the annual Congressional Art Competition for art students.
An additional five second-place winners received awards including Brooke King of Ripley High School, Ripley, Jackson County; Lauren Lyons of Grafton High School, Grafton, Taylor County; Megan Matt of Huntington High School, Huntington, Cabell County; Eleanor Paybins of Capital High School, Charleston, Kanawha County; and Michaela Swiger of Lincoln High School, Shinnston, Harrison County. Second-place winners received a $50 gift certificate from Dick Blick Art Materials.
The Congressional Art Exhibition consists of 75 pieces by 70 students, grades 9-12, from 11 West Virginia counties. Artworks in the annual exhibition were selected from a statewide competition.
All winners were selected by Laurie Goldstein-Warren of Buckhannon. She has worked and studied extensively in watercolors and her work has been shown nationally and internationally, as well in regional venues. She is a member of nine watercolor societies and has been included in publications by North Light Books.
Goldstein-Warren led a workshop from 9 a.m. to noon, “Techniques of Working With Watercolors.” Students learned about paper, brushes, paint and various techniques. She also helped students create their own original abstract watercolor piece.
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual-art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. The competition is sponsored by members of the United States Congress and culminates in a year-long exhibition at the United States Capitol building.
A complete list of students whose work is included in the exhibition is below.
For more information, contact Cailin Howe, exhibits coordinator for the division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 128, or email her at cailin.a.howe@wv.gov.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
2015 Congressional Art Competition Participants
BOONE COUNTY
VAN JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Belinda Thobois
Zeke Poore (Grade 10)
Texture Still Life - Graphite and Pencil
Britney Wilson (Grade 12)
Pine Cone Collage - Torn Paper
BRAXTON COUNTY
BRAXTON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Pamela G. Lake
Daniel Frame (Grade 12)
Wolfiki - Collage
Ashlee James (Grade 12)
American Beauty - Colored Pencil
Laura Lake (Grade 12)
Autumn Water - Oil paint
and
Just Me - Oil pastels
CABELL COUNTY
HUNTINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Diana Frazier
Erica Budd (Grade 11)
Snow on the Limb - Photography
Isaac Carpenter (Grade 11)
January Sunset - Photography
Heather Childers (Grade 11)
Dragonfly at School Pond - Photography
Jordan Christian (Grade 12)
Water Drill - Photography
Breanna Clark (Grade 10)
Snowball - Photography
Austin Cooper (Grade 10)
Morning Rain - Photography
Kayla Crawford (Grade 11)
November Skies - Photography
Destiny Johnson (Grade 10)
Tree Branch - Photography
Drew Lauhon (Grade 11)
West Virginia B&W - Digital Photography
Megan Matt (Grade 10)
B&W Sunflower - Photography
Second Place, District 3
Tanner McCoy (Grade 11)
Snowy Morning - Photography
Emily Payton (Grade 12)
New River - Photography
Ian Simms (Grade 11)
Rising Star - Photography
Tianna Slash (Grade 11)
Hills of Fog - Photography
Bonnie Thomas (Grade 12)
Tree - Photography
HARRISON COUNTY
LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Carolyn Light
Erika Hayhurst (Grade 10)
Savannah in Red - India ink and acrylic paint
Erin Huffman (Grade 10)
Who I Have Become - Charcoal, Prismacolor
colored pencils, paper
Allison K. McIntyre (Grade 10)
Reach - Graphite and Prismacolor colored pencils
Meredith Robinson (Grade 12)
Summer Dreams - Mixed media
Brooke Shull (Grade 11)
Garden of Heathen - Alcohol ink on panel
First Place, District 1
Michaela Swiger (Grade 12)
Morning Light - Clay board
Second Place, District 1
ROBERT C. BYRD HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Katherine Crim
Chayanna Beverly (Grade 12)
Shout it from the Roof Tops - White line block print
Jada Bisset (Grade 12)
Which Came First? The Tortoise or the Egg -
Collage, cut paper
James Crim (Grade 12)
From Dusk Until Dawn - Photography
Brooklynn Lehosit (Grade 11)
Infinite - Pen and ink
Alyssa Shanholtz (Grade 9)
Never-ending Shadows - Graphite
Bailey Spears (Grade 11)
Deer in a Forest - Marker, watercolor, salt
JACKSON COUNTY
RAVENSWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Patricia Anderson
Shally Bailes (Grade 12)
Beans - Watercolor
Alissa Givens (Grade 11)
Bagged Object Study - Prismacolor
Boku Kondo (Grade 12)
Self Portrait - Acrylic
First Place, District 2
Caleb Marcellais (Grade 10)
Wild at Heart -Pen and ink
Hailey Miller (Grade 12)
I Can’t Bear It - Paper
Taylor Nuzum (Grade 11)
Ashton Irwin - Pen and ink
RIPLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Debbie Sisson
Kylie Anderson (Grade 11)
Nail Polish -Acrylic
Ariana Buckley (Grade 9)
Sky Wheel - Photography
Kristy Canterbury (Grade 12)
I See You! - Photography
Sydney Casto (Grade 9)
Baron, The Hungry Horse - Photography
Allyson N. Davis (Grade 11)
Games We Play - Photography
Brooke King (Grade 11)
Spellbound - Pen and ink
Second Place, District 2
Kendra Sheets (Grade 12)
A Study in Black and White - Charcoal
KANAWHA COUNTY
CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Christy Pennington
Gretel Toloza Alvarez (Grade 12)
The Horse of My Dreams - Oil
Bethany Ansel (Grade 11)
I’m Looking At You! - Pen and ink
Kayla Barbazette (Grade 11)
We the People - Pencil and colored pencil
Nicholli Matheny (Grade 12)
The Sea Goat - Watercolor
and
Let’s Get Tentacle - Acrylic
Eleanor Paybins (Grade 12)
Stay Dreaming - Charcoal and chalk pastel
and
A Challenger? - Charcoal and chalk pastel
Second Place, District 2
Ambria Scott (Grade 12)
Oppressive Goldfish - Oil pastel
and
Happy Birthday - Oil Pastel
NITRO HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Deborah Pierce
Tiffany Bartram (Grade 12)
Pink Rose - Colored Pencil
Sabrina Chapman (Grade 10)
Untitled - Colored ink pens
Peyton Dolin (Grade 11)
Louise - Graphite
and
Enchanted - Graphite, acrylic paint
Jennifer Oxley (Grade 12)
Black Umbrella - Colored pencil
Jacob Stevens (Grade 12)
Rooster - Oil
SAINT ALBANS HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Debra Moore
Hannah Inman (Grade 12)
Cubistic Portrait - Oil Pastel
Cherith Marcum (Grade 12)
Furpig - Collage
Katelyn Stuckey (Grade 10)
Love Has No Color - Mixed media, collage
Lexi Yost (Grade 12)
Color of Fun - Mixed media
LOGAN COUNTY
CHAPMANVILLE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Karen Adkins
Haley Hensley (Grade 11)
There’s Beauty in Everything - Mixed media
Hannah Swartz (Grade 12)
Books Are Their Own Art - Mixed media
Abigail Triplett (Grade 9)
Connection - Mixed media
Sarina Vance (Grade 12)
Snow Day - Acrylic
MARION COUNTY
NORTH MARION HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Linda Elmer
Sabrina Morris (Grade 12)
Monochrome in Blue - Pencil and colored pencil
Abby Ott (Grade 12)
Crystal Ball - Photography
MASON COUNTY
WAHAMA JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Susan Parrish
Danielle Lavender (Grade 12)
Broken Pieces - Oil
MERCER COUNTY
PIKE VIEW HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Katrina Runyon
Brooklyn Lily (Grade 12)
Candle Tree - Mixed media
First Place, District 3
TAYLOR COUNTY
GRAFTON HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Pam Thompson
Lauren Lyons (Grade 12)
Flight - Pencil and colored pencil
Second Place, District 1
Victoria Willett (Grade 11)
Woken - Pencil
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