Art Contest

Ross Honors Fourth District Students for Winning Art Contest

U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) Friday honored three high school students for winning the Fourth Congressional District’s Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery. Ross presented the winners with an award during a reception for their families and teacher’s at Taylor’s Contemporanea in Hot Springs.

“I am honored to recognize these three exceptional young artists along with all of those who participated in this year’s Fourth Congressional District Art Contest,” said Ross. “The Artistic Discovery contest is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the extraordinary talent of our nation’s extremely gifted students, and I am proud to be involved with this competition each year.”

This year’s winners are: 1st place – Amanda Brown, a Senior at El Dorado High School; 2nd place – Amanda Mengis, a Senior at Centerpoint High School in Amity; and 3rd place – Hawk Clift, a Junior at Fountain Lake High School.

The competition consisted of first and second-place winners from each participating school and was judged by an independent panel of art teachers in the district to determine the overall first, second and third-place winners. The annual nationwide competition selects one outstanding art piece from each of the 435 congressional districts across the country, to be displayed for one year in the United States Capitol.

Amanda Brown’s winning artwork will be displayed in the Cannon House Office Building tunnel to the United States Capitol for one year. This tunnel is used by Members of Congress and their guests to traverse to the capitol from the congressional office buildings. Brown will also receive roundtrip air fare and lodging for three to attend the opening of the national exhibition in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Amanda Mengis and Hawk Clift will be honored by having their artwork hung in Ross’ Congressional office for the year. 

I am pleased to announce that Amanda Brown's art entry has been awarded first place in the Fourth Congressional District's 2008 Artistic Discovery Art Competition. Her entry was selected by a panel of art professionals.

For the next year, Amanda's artwork will be exhibited in the tunnel connecting the Cannon House Office Building and the United States Capitol alongside the winning entries from each of the 435 congressional districts across the United States. Her art will also be submitted to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for a potential scholarship of $3,000.00 per year.

I would like to thank all the students who participated in the 2008 Artistic Discovery Congressional Art Competition Program and I look forward to continuing this tradition in 2009.