Maine Honors the Congressional Art Competition Winners

The winners, runner-ups, art teachers and family, involved in the 2011 Congressional Arts Competition, attended a reception at the Blaine House this Saturday, May 7. Governor LePage and representatives from both congressional offices were present to honor the extraordinary creative talent discovered in the young Maine artists taking part in the competition.

Those young artists attending included Whitney Wei, winner of the 1st District; Jeremy Vroom, winner of the 2nd District; the runner-ups of the 1st District, Elizabeth Cox, Eve Hupper and Emily Howell; the runner-ups of the 2nd District, Caili Inman, Matthew McKeown and Sylvia Beliveau.Don Tuski attended the reception to announce that the Maine College of Art offers the winning participants an $8,000 scholarship and a $6,000 scholarship for the runner-ups.

The Congressional Art Competition features one piece of student artwork from every participating congressional district in the country. Maine’s winners will have their work displayed in the halls of U.S. Capitol for a year. Both winning students, along with their families, will be flown to Washington in an opening ceremony in June.

Governor LePage honored the wonderful creativity exhibited by these students, expressing how significant creative thinking is for the leaders of tomorrow.

“Your success, based upon your creativity, represents a considerable achievement and I am certain that this success will follow you into whatever future you choose for yourself,” said Governor LePage. “I hope you will keep your creativity here in Maine and be a part of a great future for our state.”

In honor and pride of the artists and their pieces, Michaud said, “The corridor that these students’ work will hang in is the same one I and many members of Congress walk through each day we are voting in the House of Representatives. It’s always a treat to see the great student work on display—especially the two works of art from the state of Maine.”

The encouragement of the event certainly will follow these young artists into their future endeavors, especially onward to the opening ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.

The Maine Arts Commission organized the Congressional Art Competition in cooperation with both congressional offices. For more information on this, or any other Maine Arts Commission programs, visit http://www.mainearts.com