Press Releases

Each spring, members of the U.S. House of Representatives sponsor a nationwide high school art competition. The Congressional Art Competition, which began in 1982, serves as an opportunity to recognize and to encourage the artistic talent in our congressional districts and across the country. 

The 2013 Competition was open to all high school students in the Third District, and the winner’s piece will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol.  The exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from other contest winners.

This year, there were 71 entries from ten high schools throughout the district.  The top five finalists were selected by a panel judges from the community, including Manuela Well-Off-Man, Dayton Castleman, and Lee Ortega.

Clarissa Magley, a junior at Siloam Springs High School, won first place in the 2013 Congressional Art Competition with her piece, “Kitchi Akecheta (Brave Fighter).” The other finalists include:

• “Cathedral of Morelia,” by Alejandro Sanches (Har-Ber High School)
• “Venture,” by Grace Nast (Siloam Springs High School)
• “Branch Out,” by Victoria Lasater (Siloam Springs High School)
• “The Living Word,” by Kayla Thompson (Har-Ber High School)

“I am truly amazed by the undeniable artistic talents of so many of our Third District students.  I’d like to thank all of the high schoolers who participated in the 2013 Congressional Art Competition and congratulate our finalists, especially Clarissa Magley.  I am proud to have “Kitchi Akecheta (Brave Fighter)”  representing Arkansas’s Third District in Washington, D.C., and very much look forward to passing it daily in the Capitol.”

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