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Congressman Connolly with the 2016 Congressional Art Competition Winners

More than 250 students, teachers and parents filled the Lorton Arts Workhouse on Saturday for Congressman Gerry Connolly’s 8^th Annual Congressional Art Competition Awards Ceremony.  Prizes were awarded to the top 6 entries.  “Best in Show” was presented to Joshua Flickinger from Heritage Christian School in Prince William County.  His piece, titled “ Skripka” Violin in Russian” will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol for one year. Haeryun Lee, of Oakton High School in Fairfax, was named this year’s “High School Rising Star” and will have her piece, “Mother Nature,” displayed at the Workhouse Arts Center.

This year’s show included 149 pieces of art from 131 high school artists from Virginia’s 11^th Congressional District. All public, private and home schooled high school students, residing in Congressman Gerry Connolly’s 11th Congressional District, were invited to participate.

Additional awards were presented to:

Second Place:
Min Joo Kang, “Three Women," Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Third Place:
Angela He, “Wishful Father,” Oakton High School

Fourth Place:
Alison Osorio, “A Mess of Lovely Things," Woodbridge Senior High School

Fifth Place:
Doi Kim, “Lose Yourself,” James Madison High School

“This annual contest provides a unique opportunity for young artists in Fairfax and Prince William to join with other students from across the nation to showcase their artistic creativity and talent,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly. “I want to thank our students, their teachers and parents, and our sponsors for making this year’s competition such a success. I’m also grateful to the Workhouse Arts Center, its staff, and the judges for all of their efforts to make this annual event a success and help showcase the work of our students.”

Artwork accepted mediums included:

• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor,
• Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers
• Collage: must be two dimensional
• Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
• Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
• Computer generated art
• Photography

Judging was conducted by: Zhiyan Arif (Arts Council of Fairfax County), Sheyna Burt (Prince William County Arts Council), Brett Johnson (Workhouse Arts Center), Holly McCulough (Greater Reston Arts Center), Signe Friedrichs (Arts Herndon), and Jim Gallagher (Prince William Art Society).

This year's "Best in Show"  was presented to Joshua Flickinger for "Skripka." His work will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

Haeryun Lee took home his year’s “High School Rising Star” for her piece, “Mother Nature.”