Rep. Lynn Westmoreland: Congratulates Winners of the Congressional Art Competition

Your Washington – GA 3 – Desk:

Westmoreland Congratulates Winners of the Congressional Art Competition

On March 29^th, I hosted the Third District’s Congressional Art Competition at the Central Education Center in Newnan, Georgia, and I was proud to award first place to Sarah Stout of Harris County for her piece, “Objects in Mirror are Closer than they Appear.” Sarah Stout is a student at Harris County High School.

As the first place winner of the Congressional Art Competition, Miss Stout will receive a $10,000 scholarship to the Art Institute of Atlanta (AI) and have her artwork displayed in the corridors of the U.S. Capitol. In addition, she will receive a trip to Washington D.C. with a parent and her art teacher to attend the ceremony where her artwork will be displayed in the Capitol. Second place and a $5,000 scholarship from AI were awarded to Erika Gauvin from McIntosh High School, and third place went to Anna Weaver from Starrs’ Mill High School as well as a $2,500 scholarship from AI.

When asked about her winning artwork, Miss Stout said it is a drawing of someone that she is close to and she drew it backwards because it was a tremendous challenge. Her art teacher, Sondra Palmer, said drawing backwards was “like learning to draw all over again. Like batting or catching left handed when you are right handed.” Miss Stout and Ms. Palmer shared a few laughs over the difficulty of drawing in reverse over such simple shapes. “Subject matter is everything and she did a great job making this subject even more interesting,” said Ms. Palmer.

I would like to thank all of the students who participated in this year’s event. Every year I look forward to the Congressional Art Competition because it gives me the chance to view the undeniable gift so many students in Georgia’s Third Congressional District possess. I would like to congratulate Sarah, Erika, and Anna for their hard work, and for pursuing their aspirations and I encourage them to continue to follow their artistic dreams. I would like to thank Georgia EMC, the Art Institute of Atlanta, Southwest Airlines, and Cruise Planners for their generous support for our winners as well. Their dedication to this project is unmatched.

The Congressional Art Competition is a national competition sponsored by the Congressional Art Caucus. If you are interested in entering the 2015 Congressional Art Competition, you can learn more about it by visiting my website at www.house.gov/westmoreland and selecting “Constituent Services” or by contacting Avery Raptis in my Newnan office at (770) 683-2033.