Higgins announces details for annual congressional art competition

High school students invited to participate; wining piece displayed at U.S. Capitol

Congressman Brian Higgins invites local high school students to participate in the annual congressional art competition. All artwork submitted from students in Higgins' district will be featured in a public gallery and available for viewing in an online gallery. The winning piece will be displayed in the tunnel to the U.S. Capitol.

"We are proud to have the opportunity to showcase the fantastic work of talented, young artists locally and in our nation's capital," Higgins said. "We encourage students to share their artwork."

Interested students must submit their original artwork by 5 p.m. Friday, April 18. Art pieces can be delivered to Higgins' Buffalo office at 726 Exchange St., Suite 601; or his Niagara Falls office at 640 Park Place.

Submitted artwork must be framed and can be no larger than 28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. Accepted mediums for the two-dimensional artwork include:

•Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.

•Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal

•Collages: 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

•Photographs

Additional guidelines are available on the congressman's website: https://higgins.house.gov/sites/higgins.house.gov/files/CongressionalArtCompetitionRulesandRegulations.pdf.

All submissions will be on display from April 24 through May 4 in a public gallery located in the lobby at the Larkin at Exchange Building at 726 Exchange St. During that time, artwork will also be featured in a virtual gallery on Higgins' website where the public will be invited to vote for their favorite piece. On Sunday, May 4, Higgins will host a ceremony and reception for teachers, students and their families where the top winners will be announced. Local leaders in the Western New York art community will serve as judges for the competition.

Students presenting artwork for entry must also submit a student information and release form, which Higgins' office has provided to high schools in his district. It is also available on his website at https://higgins.house.gov/services/art-competition.

One piece from each congressional district will hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The winning student is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting awards ceremony in the Capitol. Southwest Airlines will provide round-trip airfare for two.

The competition, initiated by Congress in 1982, includes hundreds of thousands of high school students from across the nation.