Cleveland - Thursday, Congressman Dave Joyce announced Brianna Yee as the winner of the 2020 Congressional Art Competition for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District.
Yee, who is a senior at Mentor High School, won with her colored pencil submission Ribbons for the People. Second place was awarded to Darya Evsikova, a junior at Mentor High School, for her artwork called Child’s Play. Third place went to Jessica Jilek, who is a freshman at Mayfield High School, with her piece titled Kick’in. Fourth place was awarded to Hannah Gingrich, a senior at Mentor High School, with her submission Altar’d. This year’s winners were selected from a pool of 59 applicants from eight high schools.
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“Every year, this competition gives the students of Ohio’s 14th District the chance to show how talented they truly are,” said Joyce. “I am always amazed by the level of artistic talent we have here in Northeast Ohio - it’s truly inspiring to see how skilled our students are. I want to thank all of the students who submitted their amazing work, the art teachers who supported them and my staff for ensuring the competition could be held virtually during the pandemic. Congratulations to Brianna, Darya, Jessica and Hannah – I look forward to seeing your incredible artwork hung up in the U.S. Capitol, my Washington office and my offices here in Northeast Ohio.”
“Bri’s portfolio revolves around her experience living in the United States but belonging to two different cultures, American and Chinese,” said Mrs. Michelle Kane, who teaches Advanced Placement Fine Art and Printmaking classes at Mentor High School. “Her self-portrait, ‘Ribbons for the People,’ conveys the idea that as a young person, she is being pulled in many directions, by many different people as she tries to navigate her own role and perceptions.”
The Congressional Art Competition, which began in 1982, is an annual contest run by the U.S. House of Representatives where high school students from across the country are invited to showcase their artistic abilities. The first-place winner’s artwork will be on display in the U.S. Capitol for an entire year and the second-place winning entry will hang in Joyce’s Washington D.C. office for a year. The third and fourth place winners will have their artwork on display in the Congressman’s district offices for one year.
In keeping with a tradition he started in 2016, Joyce will also be holding a ‘People’s Choice Award’ on his Facebook page, where constituents are encouraged to vote for their favorite artwork. The student who receives the most votes for the People’s Choice Award will also get to have his/her artwork on display in one of Joyce’s district offices for one year.
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