Lancaster student wins Congressional Art Competition for 23rd District

BAKERSFIELD – Christiana Macy, an 11th-grade homeschool student at Grace Christian Academy in Lancaster, is the overall winner of the 34th annual “An Artistic Discovery” Congressional Art Competition for high school students in California’s 23rd Congressional District, Congressman Kevin McCarthy announced Thursday.

Under the direction of her art teacher, Alicia Garver, Christiana created her piece, “Lost in Thought,” using colored pencils.

As the overall winner of the competition, Christiana will receive a cash award and two round-trip tickets to attend the exhibit opening of “An Artistic Discovery” in Washington, D.C. on June 24. Additionally, her artwork will be displayed in the corridor leading to the U.S. Capitol for a period of one year.

Christiana’s winning artwork was selected from a record number of 241 entries from 16 schools in the 23^rd Congressional District, which includes part of Kern, Tulare and Los Angeles counties, according to Congressman McCarthy.

“Our community is rich with artistic talent and it is something we should celebrate… Every year I am blown away by not only the work itself, but by the enthusiasm that goes into the submissions,” McCarthy stated in a press release. “I applaud all students who entered a piece into this year’s competition and encourage each one to continue to pursue their passion for the arts. Their work enriches the lives of us all.”

McCarthy said awards will also be presented to those students who placed First, Second, Third and received Honorable Mention in the following three categories: All Other Medium, Photography and Computer Art. In addition, all awardees will have the option of displaying their artwork in McCarthy’s Washington office for one year.

Other award winners:

All Other Medium Category:

• 1st Place- Charles Robert Matthew Peyton, Independence High School, Scratchboard- “Mugsy’s Gril”
• 2nd Place- Adriana Robles, Highland High School, Paper cut- “Self Portrait”
• 3rd Place- Sarah Harmon, Frontier High School, Graphite/pencils on wood- “Hidden Self Portrait”
• Honorable Mention- Kristin Parulan, Centennial High School, Graphite/pencil- “Cicada”
• Honorable Mention- Karina Ramirez, Bakersfield High School, Mixed Media- “Candy Crush”

Photography Category:

• 1st Place- Brady Rushing, Frontier High School, Photo- “Untitled”
• 2nd Place- Brady Rushing, Frontier High School, Photo-“Untitled”
• 3rd Place- Brady Rushing, Frontier High School, Bakersfield, Photo- “Zoned”
• Honorable Mention- Anna I. Dell’Amico, George Washington University Online, Photo- “The Bee”

Computer Generated Art Category:

• 1st Place- Rachelle Echeverria, Independence High School, Computer Art- “Gibby”
• 2nd Place- Flor Juarez, West High School, Computer Art- “Fractured”
• 3rd Place- Adam Monroy, West High School, Computer Art-“Exploring Dimensions”

Awardees and participants in the 23rd Congressional District competition will be honored at a reception Friday, May 8, at Metro Galleries in Bakersfield.

Each year, Congress holds the Congressional Art Competition for high school students nationwide to recognize and encourage artistic talent. Winners from each congressional district are selected through a competitive and deliberative process. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

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