(OVERLAND PARK, KAN.) – Congressman Dennis Moore (Third District - Kansas) has named Bjorn Sparrman, a senior at Mill Valley High School, winner of the Kansas Third District 2008 Congressional Arts Competition. This is the fourth time in five years that a student from the DeSoto School District has received this recognition.

Bjorn’s artwork will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel, an underground pedestrian walkway between the House office buildings and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

“I host this competition each year to encourage and recognize the rich artistic talents of high school students in the Third District of Kansas, and this year we had more than 90 entries!” Moore said. “Bjorn’s artwork is a fantastic example of the blending of modern technology and artistic expression. It’s an honor to have it represent my district in our nation’s capitol.”

Bjorn’s computer graphic artwork, Wrath of Sangon, synthesizes nearly 40 different layers or color and design, utilizing both Adobe Photo Shop and Illustrator. The idea behind the work, to express the early morning “hustle and bustle” of commuting and the feelings of a young man waiting on a train, is as complex as the multiple layers used in its creation.

Bjorn is the son of Bonnie and Eric Sparrman, Shawnee, and plans on attending Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after graduating from Mill Valley High School.

“I find great delight that students just like me are able to be honored for their artistic pursuits and I feel that it aids to a more beautiful future,” said Bjorn Sparrman.

Jodi Ellis, the Art Instructor at Mill Valley, joined Bjorn’s in praising the competition, saying: “I appreciate the opportunity given to area students to be recognized in a national format and would like to thank Congressman Moore and all his staff for their dedication to and promotion of the visual arts.”

An Artistic Discovery is the annual nationwide Congressional Arts Competition initiated by members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Winners are selected by an independent art advisory panel. Southwest Airlines generously offered to fly the winning artist and a guest to Washington, D.C., to see their work on display.