Rep. Honda Invites Students to Participate in Congressional Art Competition

WASHINGTON—U.S. Representative Mike Honda, D-California, invites high school students from California’s 17th district to participate in the 2013 Congressional Art Competition.  “Young people in my district have so much creativity and imagination to share with the rest of the country,” said Rep. Honda. “The art competition allows our students to engage their artistic talents and showcase their art work with the greater community.”

Students may submit two-dimensional artwork, including: paintings, drawings, collages, prints, photographs, mixed media, or computer-generated art. Deadline for submission is Friday, April 26, 2013, at 4:00pm.  For information on how to enter the competition, visit http://honda.house.gov/ under “Constituent Services” then “An Artistic Discovery.” 

This year, in order to make the art competition more accessible, Congressman Honda’s office has partnered with libraries in the 17th District to set up drop sites closer to students’ homes.  Students may now drop off their submission at any of the following locations:

• Fremont Main Library – 2400 Stevenson Boulevard, Fremont CA 94538
• Newark Library – 6300 Civic Terrace Boulevard, Newark CA 94560
• Milpitas Library – 160 North Main Street, Milpitas CA 95035
• Sunnyvale Public Library – 665 West Olive Avenue, Sunnyvale CA 94086
• Berryessa Branch Library – 3355 Noble Avenue, San Jose CA 95132
• Cupertino Library – 10800 Torre Avenue, Cupertino CA 95014
• Office of Congressman Mike Honda – 2001 Gateway Place, Suite 670W, San Jose CA 95110

The winning piece will represent the 17th Congressional District and be displayed as part of a year-long national exhibition at the U.S. Capitol. The winning artist and a guest will be flown to Washington, D.C., courtesy of Southwest Airlines, to attend the unveiling reception at the Capitol Visitor Center. 

Last year’s contest winner was Sam Bauman of Leigh High School, whose piece was titled American Pride.  Sam’s painting depicted an older man wearing a “USA” embroidered cap.  The second and third place winners were Yennie Shyu of Piedmont Hills High School and Na Yeon Kim of Lynbrook High School.            

Congressman Honda has recognized local organizations and businesses that have encouraged young artists to pursue their creativity by contributing gift certificates, art supplies, and other incentives for participants of the Congressional Art Competition. Last year’s generous contributors were University of Art San Jose, Bontrager Framing Services, San Jose Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Amici’s Pizza, De Anza Euphrat Museum of Art, Winchester Mystery House, Southwest Airlines, San Jose Giants, The Tech Museum, Aqui Cal-Mex, History San Jose, and It’s A Grind Coffee House. 

All pieces will be judged by a diverse panel of community leaders and a winning artist will be announced at a reception on May 29, 2013.