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Congressman Paul Tonko announced that Schenectady High School Junior Atiyahna Anderson is the winner of the 2012 Congressional Art Competition for the 21^st Congressional District. Her scratch board photo, titled “Self,” was judged to be the best out of 30 entries from 13 local school districts. The artwork was displayed during a reception Monday evening at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy.

Atiyahna’s work will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol for the duration of the year alongside the winning entries from other Congressional districts nationwide.

The first runner up was Erin Bryk, a junior from Shaker High School. The second runner up was Darian Quinn, a senior from Niskayuna High School. Two students were given an honorable mention for their work: Emy Blohm from the Doane Stuart School and Leeanne Tobler from Albany High School.

“Congratulations to Atiyahna for her exceptional work, and to all the students who took part in the competition,” said Congressman Tonko. “Creative expression through the arts is an important part of the learning process and allows students to exercise their imagination.”

The artwork was judged by a panel of local arts professionals who donated their time to the project. The judges were Alana Akacki, Exhibitions Manager and Volunteer Coordinator at the Arts Center of the Capital Region; Marilee Sousie, Master of Fine Arts student at the University at Albany; and Monica Bill-Hughes, Master of Fine Arts student at the University at Albany.

As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus, Congressman Tonko continues to work with his colleagues to provide robust federal funding for the arts, including the National Endowments for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museums and Library Services , and the Department of Education’s Arts in Education Program.

The Congressional Art Competition started in 1982 as an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. This marks the third year Congressman Tonko has hosted a reception for the event. More than 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition.

Photos of last evening’s reception can be found here: http://bit.ly/TonkoArt

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