Congresswoman Duckworth Visits Northwest Suburbs to Award Winning Art Submissions

On Saturday, May 18, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth announced the winners of the 8th Congressional District Art Competition at a Reception in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

The competition was open to all high school students living in the 8th congressional district, and students were made aware of the contest by their art teachers. 

The theme was to depict "nature in the modern world."

"I was interested in showcasing how we can have both nature and progress-if we approach the two in a responsible way," Duckworth said during the presentation ceremony Saturday. 

The first place winner was Alyssa Froehling, a Palatine High School senior, with her submission of “Symbiosis”. Froehling's art work will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. for the next year.

The high school senior also won two round-trip airline tickets to Washington, D.C. as part of her prize. 

Second place went to “Revival” by sophomore Cheyenne Lam from Addison Trail High School and “Moment to Silence” by Sean Habel, a senior at Hoffman Estates High School, was awarded third place.

All eleven art submissions will each be displayed for a month in Duckworth's Washington D.C. office over the next year. They have been open for public viewing since May 1 at The Arlington Green Executive Building, Northwest Cultural Council Gallery, 2101 Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights where the presentation ceremony took place. 

The Congressional Art Competition, first held in 1982, is a nationwide high school arts competition sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives.  One winning piece of artwork from each House district in the country is selected to be displayed in the U.S. capitol. 

Other competing artwork on the display included:

• “Neon Scapes” by Klavidia Sekvra, Schaumburg High School, Senior
• “Preserving Nature” by Rebecca Bender, Schaumburg High School, Senior 
• “Untitled Photography” by Jackie Muff, Elk Grove High School, Senior 
• “Make the World Go Around” by Katerina Kano Jockish, James B. Conant, Senior 
• “Invasive Species” by Janise Garcia, Streamwood High School, Senior 
• “Remembering Roots” by Joseph Vichio, Glenbard East High School, Junior 
• “Nightmare” by Colleen Gillmann, Palatine High School, Junior 
• “Coexist” by Jeong Eun Hun, Palatine High School, Junior

Judges for the competition included:

Ra Joy, Executive Director, Art Alliance, Gary Drake, Artist, Chantala Kommanivanh, Artist, and Liz Schrenk, Artist.

Areas represented in the 8th Congressional District by Duckworth include: 

Addison, Algonquin, Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Buffalo Grove, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Des Plaines, Dundee, East Dundee, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Itasca, Lombard, Medinah, Mount Prospect, Oak Brook, Oakbrook Terrace, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, South Barrington, South Elgin, Streamwood, Villa Park, Wheeling and Wood Dale.