TROY, OHIO—Today, Rep. Warren Davidson announced the winners of Ohio’s 8th Congressional District Art Competition.
Eleven high schools in the 8th District participated in this event. Overall, 176 students submitted 261 pieces of original artwork. Competition categories include open submissions for photography and other artistic media, as well as a specific category for “Art in the Time of COVID”.
Photography
3rd Place: Ashlynn Sapp, Lakota West, “City of Staples”
2nd Place: Maria Hajjar, Lakota West, “The Power of Humility”
1st Place: Martin Philip, Lakota West, “Not Alone”
All Other Media
3rd Place: Amy Albert, Lakota West, “Through my Lense”
2nd Place: Emily Daiker, Lakota West, “Looking to the Bright Side”
1st Place in All other & Grand Prize: Ashley Fryer, Lakota West, “Washed Away”
After announcing the winning students, Rep. Davidson made the following statement:
“I’m very impressed with the skill and creativity of the 8th District’s young artists. During this past year of increased social isolation, it’s encouraging to see how students have used their time and talents to express this time in history. They’ve created pieces that speak to our shared human experience as well as inviting us to pause and appreciate the beauty that they painstakingly captured with their pencils, paint, and cameras.”
Troy-Hayner Cultural Center Exhibit Coordinator Leona Sargent spoke a bit about how this year’s art competition took on a different meaning during a pandemic:
“In general, art is a great way to deal with the anxiety around you, either by making art or by looking at art. As far as its importance during the pandemic, myself as an artist, I was all of a sudden making a piece of art every week while we were at home, something I don’t normally do. With high schoolers who are all ocf a sudden missing out on things that would normally be part of their junior and senior year, they can use the art to express the frustration and things that they are feeling. Also, going online and looking at art in a different way can also become a personal and communal thing for young artists all at the same time.”
The grand prize submission is placed on display with other stand out pieces from congressional districts across the country in the Capitol and other prize-winning artwork will be showcased in the Congressman’s Washington, D.C., and district offices.
The usual reception for students, parents, and teachers could not be held due to ongoing public health restrictions. However, students can watch the virtual reception on Congressman Davidson’s website. The Troy-Hayner Cultural Center is open at limited capacity. All artwork will be on display from April 16 to May 2, 2021. You can also view all the submissions online, here.