80.3 F
Charlotte Amalie
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsWinner of the 2020 Congressional Art Competition Announced

Winner of the 2020 Congressional Art Competition Announced

Haley Jennings’ first-place artwork is titled “So is this what the world has come to?” (Image from the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)
Haley Jennings’ first-place artwork is titled “So is this what the world has come to?” (Image from the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)

Haley Jennings, a student artist at Antilles School, won two top prizes in the 2020 Congressional Art Competition.

Winners were announced last week in the competition, which honors more than 400 students from every Congressional District in the United States, including the territories.

Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett hosted the competition for the Virgin Islands. The judges – Jasmine Lindquist, Iria Stiles and Jannet Prosper – selected the winners of this year’s territorial competition.

Haley took first place for the painting, “So is this what the world has come to?” She also won the People’s Choice Award.

Letisha Ayala’s artwork, titled “Lady in Madras,” took second place. (Image from the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)
Letisha Ayala’s artwork titled, “Lady in Madras,” took second place. (Image from the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)

Second place went to Letisha Ayala, a student at St. Croix Central High, for her artwork titled “Lady in Madras.” Third went to Jayveon Boland, a student at Charlotte Amalie High School, for his artwork titled “The Stage is Set for A U.S. Virgin Islands Carnival They Will Never Forget.”

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 Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

According to the U.S. House of Representatives website, students submit entries to their representative’s office and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Jayveon Boland took third place for his “The Stage is Set for A U.S. Virgin Islands Carnival They Will Never Forget.” (Imagefrom the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)
Jayveon Boland took third place for his “The Stage is Set for A U.S. Virgin Islands Carnival They Will Never Forget.” (Image from the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)

The Office of the Architect of the Capitol is responsible for hanging all winning art pieces in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol until the next annual competition. According to the Congressional Institute, the tunnel is traversed frequently and members of Congress along with visitors stroll the tunnel to admire the art pieces daily.

The winning artist from each district is also invited to attend the awards ceremony where they can see their artwork displayed in the Cannon Tunnel.

Since 2009 the nonprofit Congressional Institute has sponsored the annual competition. In a prepared statement Congressional Institute President Mark Strand waxed enthusiastically about the contest.

Haley Jennings won the "People's Choice Award" for this painting. (Image from the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)
Haley Jennings won the People’s Choice Award for this painting. (Image from the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts)

“The Congressional Institute is very proud to sponsor the Congressional Art Competition, which celebrates the enormous talent and cultural contributions of American high school students,” Strand said. “What I love most are the more than 400 individual stories of these kids who will come to Washington, D.C. to celebrate winning the competition in their districts. Tens of thousands of student artists participate every year and each member of Congress can only pick one winner, although some members find creative ways to celebrate the runner-up artist.”

Though this year’s winners had not been posted online by Monday evening, all past winning entries are online at the Congressional Institute website.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.

UPCOMING EVENTS