WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Congressman Dan Boren, chosen as the national Co-chair for the 2008 Congressional Art Competition, hosted this year’s winning student artists on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. Every spring, the U.S. House of Representatives features the Congressional Art Competition to promote awareness of the arts by recognizing talented young artists from each Congressional district.
After local contests are held in Congressional districts, the winning entries from all districts are displayed in the U.S. Capitol Tunnel for one year. Each winning student receives an invitation to attend the grand-opening ceremony in Washington, D.C. Since the competition was created in 1982, thousands of high school students have participated at the local level, and hundreds of art pieces have been showcased at the Capitol.
“It has been an honor to work with Congressman Miller on the art competition this year. It is a joy to see so much talent among our nation’s young people. These students have a very unique set of skills, and serve as examples of accomplishment,” said Boren.
During the day’s events, students attended an art workshop panel with featured artists chosen by Congressman Boren and his Co-Chair, Congressman Jeff Miller (FL-1). Boren invited Rosalind Cook of Tulsa to be one of the two featured artists this year.
Cook is a nationally recognized sculptor whose life-sized and monumental works can be seen at parks, hospitals, corporate headquarters, libraries and churches across the United States. Most notably, her sculptures are featured at the headquarters of World Vision in Washington, D.C., the Cleveland Heart Clinic in Ohio, and as the commemorative sculpture for the 2001 U.S. Open Golf Tournament in Tulsa.
“I am honored that Mrs. Cook could be here to speak with these aspiring artists,” Boren said. “She brought great advice for these young leaders drawn from her successful career and life experiences.”
At the workshop Mrs. Cook provided the winning students with lessons-learned from a successful career in sculpture and helpful advice for the students as they form their educational and professional goals as aspiring artists.
“When I addressed the students, I reminded them – ‘see your work, see your art, as a gift to be shared. Your art is an extension of yourself that reaches out to the world. Make it significant,” said Cook.
After the workshop, a reception was held in the students’ honor and they heard from the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dana Gioia, about the importance of their role in creating public support for the arts and art education. Following the reception and opening ceremony, student artists were taken to view the art installation in the Capitol by their sponsoring Congressional office.
The winning art student from Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District was Meagan Young of Fort Gibson High School. Her winning piece titled, “Offerings at Notre Dame”, was awarded first place in the Second District art competition held April 18, 2008 at the NSU – Muskogee campus.
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