Lewiston Student Wins 2019 Congressional Art Competition for Maine’s Second District
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Congressmen Jared Golden (ME-02) announced the winners of the 2019 Congressional Art Competition for Maine's Second District today. The winning submission, a photograph entitled ‘Dizzy' from Carolyn Adams of Lewiston High School, will be displayed in the halls of the U.S. Capitol alongside work from some of the best high school artists in the country.
"I knew Maine students were talented, but the submissions we received for the Congressional Art Competition this year blew me away," said Congressman Golden. "Congratulations to Carolyn and thanks to all of our winners for sharing your talent and representing our second district so well."
Carolina Gonzalez and Cindy Orcutt served as judges for the competition. Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture at Bates College. Orcutt is the co-owner of the Schoolhouse Gallery in Kingfield, Maine and a board member of the Maine Arts Commission.
"Carolyn Adam's photograph, ‘Dizzy', drew me in immediately. The photograph, beautifully composed, takes you into a journey between time, dance and architecture: columns, tall windows, and glimpses of the outside interact with the fragility of a body in movement. The composition is full of surprises, your eye moves around finding nuances. The element of narrative allows you to move around as you discover the delicate and intricate interactions between body gestures, time, and space they occupy." - Carolina Gonzalez
"As is possible with good art, Carolyn Adam's photograph, ‘Dizzy', takes the viewer out of the present, into a world of illusion. You know you are inside the upper floor of an old New England building, but upon further study, one moves into the fourth dimension, that of time, as you watch the dancer pirouette around the room, turn after turn, swirl after swirl. The heaviness of the old masonry structure is offset by multiple delicate, rounded windows and the lightness of a spinning young dancer's dress, hair and arms moving in front of them. Technically, it is lovely photo - crisp, focused and beautifully composed." - Cindy Orcutt
The judges also recognized submissions from four other student artists from the Second District.
1st Runner-Up - Asha Shueyb of Lewiston High School for ‘Lost Boy Running'
2nd Runner-Up - Joey Sprague of Oxford Hills Technical School for ‘Office Dog Downs'
Honorable Mention - Isaac Wardwell of George Stevens Academy for ‘A Big Paper Boat for a Kid in a Raincoat'
Honorable Mention - Jihwan Hwang of Hebron Academy for ‘Alley'
Honorable Mention - Culiandra Nero of Oxford Hills Technical School for ‘Antigone'
To download high-quality versions of the above photos, click here.
The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 700,000 high school students have competed for the honor of having their work shown in the U.S. Capitol.
The Maine Arts Commission partners with the Maine College of Art (MECA) and the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards to select the artwork. Artwork that MECA has invited to exhibit for the annual Maine Regional Scholastic Art Awards are automatically submitted to be juried for the Congressional Art Competition.