McCarthy Announces Winners of Congressional Art Competition

Bakersfield, CA – Today, Congressman Kevin McCarthy announced the winners of the 31^st Annual "An Artistic Discovery" Congressional Art Competition for high school students. Winners and participants will be honored at a reception on Friday, May 11, 2012 at Metro Galleries in Bakersfield from 6:00-7:00 PM.

"The Congressional Art Competition is intended to encourage artistic expression amongst high school students in our communities," said Congressman McCarthy. "I am always impressed by the creativity and talent of these young students, and I want to congratulate all of the artists who entered a piece into the competition this year. I also want to especially thank the teachers who encouraged their students to participate. Congratulations to all of the winners, especially the overall winner Yasmine Suleiman, whose outstanding piece of artwork will be put on display in the Capitol."

Yasmine Suleiman, a junior at Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, under the direction of her art teacher, Linda Hyatt, created her piece, titled "Plight of Man", using charcoal as her medium. In response to what inspired her piece, Yasmine said, "We all carry our own stories and experiences that simply cannot be compared. Instead, we must absorb and appreciate the individuality we possess. In this portrait, I attempted to illustrate the life that lies beneath the surface of our character. The silhouettes of the characters in the background could represent the memory and experience of the subject. However, from our perspective, his plight and his success remain ambiguous. I worked on this piece for about three or four days, on and off. It was a process that took up most of my time in thinking about how to approach and execute the idea."

Yasmine will be invited to attend the exhibit opening of "An Artistic Discovery" in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Her artwork will be displayed in the corridor leading to the U.S. Capitol for a period of one year. As the overall winner, she will also receive three round-trip tickets to the exhibit opening, as well as a cash award to be presented at the district reception.

Awards will also be presented to those students who placed First, Second, Third or received Honorable Mention in the following three categories: Photography, Computer Generated Art, and All Other Mediums. In addition, all winners will have the option of displaying their artwork in the Congressman's Washington office for one year.

Below are listed all other winners:

All Other Mediums

• 1^st Place: Josiah Macy

Grace Christian Academy in Lancaster, Paper Collage: "Shadow of the Past"

• 2^nd Place: Kristy Loya

Liberty High School in Bakersfield, Acrylic paint on white towel: "Colorful Reality"

• 3^rd Place: Clarissa Preciado

North High School in Bakersfield, Linoleum Cut: "Which Way"

• Honorable Mention: CherAmi Beach

Highland High School in Bakersfield, Mixed Media: "Untitled"

Photography

• 1^st Place: Isabel Marquez

West High School in Bakersfield, Photography: "Sailed Away"

• 2^nd Place: Lindsey Maccio

Bakersfield High School, Photography: "Yellow Flower"

• 3^rd Place: Katie Scott

Bakersfield High School, Photography: "Brooklyn"

• Honorable Mention: Teresa Malis

Bakersfield High School, Photography: "Iowa"

This year, Congressman McCarthy received 112 entries from 16 schools in the 22^nd Congressional District, which includes part of Kern, San Luis Obispo, and Los Angeles Counties.

Details of Friday's Reception:

Date: Friday, May 11, 2012

Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location: Metro Galleries, 1604 19^th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301