Chandler Announces Winners of 2007 Congressional Art Competition

WASHINGTON (May 7, 2007) Congressman Ben Chandler announced Julian Stone as the overall winner of the 2007 Congressional Art Competition for the Sixth District of Kentucky at a reception held on Friday, April 27^th at Eastern Kentucky University. Stone is a junior at Western Hills High School and is the son of Deven Stone of Frankfort.

Created in 1982, the annual Congressional Art Competition provides a unique opportunity for high school students across the United States to demonstrate their creative talents and compete for a chance to exhibit their artwork in the nation’s capital.  After students submit their artwork to their respective representative, one overall winner is chosen from each Congressional district whose art will be displayed in the United States Capitol Building.

“The significance of the arts was impressed upon me at a young age.  My mother is an artist, and she taught me the importance of creativity, art appreciation and art history,” said Congressman Chandler.  “The Congressional Art Competition is a great opportunity for high school students to have a meaningful experience with art.” 

Held in the skylight covered atrium of EKU’s new Business and Technology Center, the reception brought together high school students from across the Sixth District to showcase their artistic talents.

The art pieces were judged by a panel of three judges, Dr. Juilee Decker, Chair of the Georgetown College Art Department, Mr. Herb Goodman, Chair of the Eastern Kentucky University Art and Design Department, and Ms. Cay Lane, Executive Director of the Montgomery County Council for the Arts.  The judges were tasked with choosing an overall winner for the art competition, as well as winners from each participating county and each art category.

Julian Stone was the overall winner of this year’s competitive art competition.  “We were all very impressed with Stone’s artwork.  He is a very talented young man,” said Chandler.  Stone’s artwork is entitled “Bird Scull Collage,” and the medium is Computer Generated Art.  Stone will have a chance to travel to Washington to meet with Congressman Chandler and attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for winners of the art competition which will officially open the display of artwork in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for one year.

“Thousands of people walk by these art pieces every day, so I am thrilled to see artwork from Central Kentucky hanging on the wall of the U.S. Capitol,” said Chandler.  “This competition provides a great opportunity to strengthen art education and appreciation on both a local and a national level.”

Congressman Chandler also presented awards to winners from each participating county and each art category, which include: collage, computer generated art, drawings, mixed media, paintings, photography, and prints.  Counties participating in the art competition this year included: Anderson, Boyle, Estill, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Powell, and Woodford Counties.

The county and categorical winners who received recognition from Chandler’s office are as follows:

County Winners:

·         Anderson:                         &nb sp;       Matthew Koos, Anderson County High School

·         Boyle:                       &nb sp;               Abi Dobson, Danville High School

·         Estill:                       &nbs p;                Jenny Brake, Estill County High School

·         Fayette:                       &n bsp;            Hannah Shafer, Henry Clay High School

·         Franklin:                       & nbsp;           Stephanie Moore, Western Hills High School

·         Garrard:                       &n bsp;            Skylar Davis, Garrard County High School

·         Jessamine:                        ;        Cassie Napier, East Jessamine High School       

·         Madison:                       & nbsp;          Gina Phillips, Model Laboratory High School

·         Mercer:                       &n bsp;            Chris Hunter, Mercer County High School

·         Powell:                       &n bsp;             Tenny Ostrem, Powell County High School

·         Woodford:                                  Linzay Marks, Woodford County High School

Category Winners:

·         Collage:                                    Amanda Whites, Franklin County High School

·         Computer Generated Art:           Alicia Schroeder, East Jessamine High School

·         Drawings:                                  Courtney Rhodes, Garrard County High School

·         Mixed Media:                       &nb sp;    Kwan-Yi, Chan, Franklin County High School

·         Paintings:                                  Lena Ruan, Henry Clay High School

·         Photography:                      &nb sp;     Cyrus Hines, Franklin County High School

·         Prints:                       &nb sp;              Haley Stegner, East Jessamine High School