Aptos High Senior Wins Congressional Art Competition

Submitted by the office of Congressman Sam Farr, who represents the Central Coast 

Aptos High School senior Rachel Martin is the winner of the 2013 Congressional Art Competition: An Artistic Discovery. Her winning piece, “Walking in Israel”, will be displayed in the halls of the Capitol along with other students’ works from across the country.  

“I would like to congratulate Rachel Martin on her inspiring piece, ‘Walking in Israel,’” said Congressman Farr. “It is great to see all of these wonderful pieces from the next generation of artists from the talent rich Central Coast.” 

Martin will travel to Washington, D.C., courtesy of Southwest Airlines, to be honored at a Congressional Reception. She will also receive a $1500 renewable scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design. 

Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School sophomore Avi Sinai was named the 2nd place winner with his piece “Icarus in Santa Cruz”. Sinai’s artwork will be prominently displayed in Congressman Farr’s Washington, D.C. Office.

San Benito High School senior Nick De Hoyos was named the third place winner, with “Homeless in the Land of Prosperity”. His piece will be displayed in the congressman’s Salinas office. 

Honorable Mentions: 

1. Dominique De Leon, Harbor High School, “831F”
2. Mirla Ramirez, San Benito HS, “Bounty of the County”
3. Cara Marie May Esteban, San Benito HS, “California Dreaming #3”
4. Graden Golston-Kreyche, Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School, “ The San Lorenzo River”
5. Avalon Ashley, Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School, “My Vietnamese Grandmother, 1967”
   

The Congressional Art Competition was open to all local high school students in the 20th Congressional District. A total of 22 entries were submitted from eight schools from the Central Coast. The entries were judged by Tobin Keller, Instructor of Art, Gallery Director and Co-Chair Program at Cabrillo College. 

The Artistic Discovery competition encourages and recognizes the rich artistic talents of young Americans. Students are allowed to submit various styles and types of art, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography and mixed media pieces. The winners are determined using criteria based on originality, skill of execution, excellence in use of materials and conceptual strength of the project. 

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nation-wide competition. Last year, Aptos High School student Holly Hernandez, was awarded first place for her entry, titled “Right to Bare Arms”.