SNYDER ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION WINNER
An Artistic Discovery: The 2009 Congressional Art Competition
Little Rock, AR — Congressman Vic Snyder announced that Alyssa Grady of Vilonia High School in Faulkner County is the winner of the 2009 Second District Congressional Art Competition. Her grand prize winning entry is a piece entitled, “True Love”. Sandy Ragland is Miss Grady’s art teacher at Vilonia High School.
The jurors were impressed with the entries submitted in this year’s competition and selected four works to receive honorable mention awards. Congressman Snyder presented the grand prize award and the honorable mention awards at the opening of the Congressional Art Exhibition at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) Fine Arts Building on Friday, May 9th. Garbo Hearne donated $25 gift certificates from Hearne Fine Arts, for the four honorable mention winners. The 2009 Honorable Mention recipients are:
Hannah Mosby, Vilonia High School (Sandy Ragland– Art Teacher)
Barbara Kersey, Oak Grove High School (Denise Jenkens– Art Teacher)
Grace Thomas, Bryant High School (Karen McManus– Art Teacher)
Paige Messer, Shirley High School (Tonya Wentzel– Art Teacher)
This year, there were 87 entries from 22 different high schools participating in the competition. The following schools participated:
Abundant Life School
Beebe High School
Benton Jr. High School
Bryant High School
Conway High School – West
Harding High School
J.A. Fair High School
Jacksonville High School
Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock Christian Academy
Mayflower High School
Mills University Studies High School
Mt. Saint Mary’s Academy
North Pulaski High School
Oak Grove High School
Perryville High School
Riverview High School
Rose Bud High School
Shirley High School
Sylvan Hills High School
The Art School of Conway
Vilonia High School
The Art Department at UALR administered and judged the competition. Terry Dennis and Morgan James from Work of Art donated custom framing to the grand prize winning artwork display, and Gwen Talley from Southwest Airlines presented 3 round trip tickets for the grand prize winner to attend the opening of the national exhibit at the Capitol on June 24th in Washington, D.C.
“I truly appreciate UALR contributing their time, space and staff to help host such a great competition and reception each year,” said Congressman Vic Snyder. “I am also very grateful for our generous donations from Southwest Airlines, Work of Art in Little Rock, and Hearne Fine Arts for our student winners.”
The overall winning piece of art will be displayed for one year as part of the national exhibit in the Cannon Tunnel, a pedestrian walkway leading to the U.S. Capitol. All other submitted entries will be featured in an exhibit at UALR for the next month.
