FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 29, 2008
CONTACT - Toure Muhammad, (773) 224-6500; toure.muhammad@mail.house.gov
Phillips High School Student wins 1st Congressional District’s 27th Annual Congressional Art Competition
Artwork by Jovan Smith (center) winner of the annual Congressional High School Arts Competition with Gallery Guichard owner, Andre Guichard
CHICAGO—The office of U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush congratulated the artistic skill of Javon Smith a senior at Wendell Phillips High School who beat out more than a dozen contestants to win the “An Artistic Discovery” annual Congressional High School Arts Competition May 23. This student’s winning piece will represent the 1st Congressional District in the nationwide exhibit at the United Stated Capitol, where it will be displayed for one year.
“I am so pleased to see the great talent displayed by Jovan and all the students who entered this contest,” said Rush. “I pray each student continues to develop their artistic talents for years to come.”
For his drawing, titled “Stop Killing Our Future”—depicting a compelling stop the violence message—Smith won a trip to Washington, D.C. sponsored by Southwest Airlines, to witness the hanging of his artwork in the Capital rotunda schedule for June 25.
Smith also won a class at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Summer Institute and a $5,000 renewable scholarship to Savannah School of Art and Design.
All the students present at the reception received encouragement from Congressman Rush’s daughter, Kacy Rush, Ra Joy, executive director of Illinois Arts, and Andre Guichard, owner of Gallery Guichard, where the reception honoring Smith was held. A panel of judges, that included Guichard, selected the winning artwork.
The competition is a yearly event held in each of the 435 Congressional Districts, including the 1st Congressional District in Illinois. It highlights the importance of art education by recognizing outstanding talented young artists in their districts.
Caption: Kacy Rush, Linda Polk (Jovan’s teacher) Javon Smith, and Anton L. Seals of Congressman Rush’s office. |
