The office of Congressman Mike Ross recently released information encouraging high school students who live in the state's 4th Congressional District to submit artwork to the 2001 Congressional High School Art Competition. The annual competition gives one student from each Congressional District in the United States the opportunity to have his or her work displayed in the Cannon House Office Building tunnel of the nation's Capitol in Washington, D. C. Members of Congress and their guests routinely use the tunnel to conveniently travel to the Capitol from the congressional office buildings. The state's 4th Congressional District includes the following counties: Howard, Sevier, Little River, Montgomery, Pike, Hempstead, Miller, Lafayette, Garland, Hot Spring, Clark, Nevada, Grant, Dallas, Ouachita, Columbia, Jefferson, Cleveland, Calhoun, Bradley, Lincoln, Drew, Ashley, Desha, Chicot, and Union. High school students who live in these counties are eligible for the competition.
The winner of the contest will receive a $10,000 scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design. To aid the winner in travel to the unveiling, the student receives a ten percent discount on airline tickets through Southwest Airlines to Baltimore Washington International Airport.
A letter from Mrs. Ross has been sent to the education service cooperative directors in the 4th Congressional District. The cooperatives were asked to organize a contest in their cooperative area. They could select a first- and second-place semi-finalist to be judged with the finalist from the other educational cooperatives within the Congressman's district to determine the overall winner. All entries must be completed by April 30 and sent to the Congressman's office in Prescott by May 10. In the letter, Mrs. Ross indicated that she was ask art teachers from the colleges within the congressional district to serve as judges. Once the overall winning artwork leaves Arkansas, the Architect of the Capitol will make any decisions regarding the suitability of the artwork for the Capitol.
The following are the guidelines concerning the entries:
The contestant must be a high school student in Grade 9 through 12.
The work must be two-dimensional only.
The art work can be no larger than 32 x 32 inches on the outer edge.
The art work can be no more than 4 inches in depth.
The art work must be framed before arrival in Washington.
An original concept, design and execution and may to violate any U. S. copyright laws:
An attached form must be signed by the teacher and the student to certify the originality of the art piece.
NOTE: Any entry which has been reproduced from an existing photograph, painting or any other work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted.
Artwork may be of any medium, suggestions include:
Paintings - oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
Drawings - pastels, colored pencil, charcoal, and ink markers
Collage - must be two-dimensional
Mixed Media
Computer-generated art
Photography
The cost associated with framing and shipping the overall will winner from the congressional district will be paid for by the Congressman and Mrs. Ross.
For questions or more information, please contact Courtney Sarratt, who is on the staff of Congressman Ross, at (202) 225-3772.