The university, in partnership with U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., hosted the 10th District Congressional Art Show March 29 through April 20. The exhibit, on display at the GW Virginia Science and Technology Campus featured 260 works by 167 area high school students, representing 24 schools throughout the 10th Congressional District. Geographic representation included Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William, Warren, and Winchester counties and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
The show, part of a national, annual competition, provides an opportunity to encourage and recognize the rich artistic talents of high school students throughout the country. Each district selects a Best in Show winner that is displayed for a year in the Cannon Tunnel, a pedestrian walkway leading from the Cannon Office Building – the oldest congressional office building – to the United States Capitol. In addition to the top winner, ribbons are awarded for first, second, and third place, as well as honorable mention, in the categories of photography, drawing, painting, mixed media, print making, computer-generated art, and collage.
"The George Washington University Virginia Science and Technology Campus has been a gracious host of the 10th District Congressional Art Show for the past three years. GW has shown itself to be a great partner and trusted supporter of education on all levels to the Loudoun County community. I look forward to being back again next year," commented Rep. Wolf.
Amidst the gathering of the student artists, their families, friends and proud teachers at the opening reception on the VSTC campus this spring, Rep. Wolf announced the Best in Show winner and presented certificates to all of the artists present.
“As a member of the Loudoun County Economic Development Commission, I would like to sincerely express our appreciation for everything the congressman has done to keep our region strong,” said Paula Harper, GW’s executive director for program development and management, while introducing Rep. Wolf. Ms. Harper also recognized the university’s commitment to being a cultural amenity for the region by hosting regular art shows that are open to the public.
During the program LeAnne Poindexter, the 2011 Northern Virginia Art Teacher of the Year, from Loudoun County, also offered personal insights about the creativity and passion that inspires artists of all ages.
The Best in Show was awarded to Justine Kim, a student at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va. Her artwork, titled “Sister, Sister,” is an intricate collage made out of small pieces of paper. Viewers appreciated the meticulous detail and patience Ms. Kim needed to create this masterpiece. From a distance the texture and crisp lines of cut paper blended together to look almost like a painting. However, if the viewers looked more closely they gained more appreciation and comprehension of the image as they realized the faded blue jean clad legs and bare feet were made up of many small parts.
2012 Best in Show awarded to Justine Kim, Briar Woods High School, for her collage entitled "Sister, Sister." (Photo courtesy of Rep. Wolf's office)
The first place winners of the seven categories in the show are:
- COLLAGE - Karis Lee, Briar Woods High School
- COMPUTER-GENERATED ART - Grace Dreyer, Potomac Falls High School
- DRAWING -Michael Anderson, Landon School (Great Falls Resident)
- MIXED MEDIA - Adrian Lee, J Art Studio
- PAINTING - Georgia Cerisano, Home Schooled
- PHOTOGRAPHY - Megan Robertson, Osbourn Park High School
- PRINTMAKING - Grace Manser, Heritage High School
In total 27 awards, including honorable mentions, were given to the exceptionally talented students, with the largest number of awards within one school going to Briar Woods High School and Heritage High School.
“It has been a pleasure to partner with Rep. Wolf’s office for the past three years. We have received numerous comments from student artists and their art teachers letting us know how much they appreciated the opportunity to exhibit on campus,” said Dova Wilson, marketing communications specialist in the Office of Corporate and Community Relations at the VSTC. “The university community has been very excited to peruse the exhibits and let us know how impressed they are with the quality of the high school artwork. We definitely plan to continue hosting the exhibit on campus next year for the benefit of the student artists, the campus population and the local community.”