Aaron Schock

Washington, Apr 21, 2012 - Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) is pleased to announce the winner of the 2012 Congressional Arts Competition: Maya Jain of Dunlap High School. Maya’s art work will hang for one year beside works of art from other Congressional districts in the passageway between the House of Representatives office buildings and the United States Capitol. Congressman Schock was on hand today to make the announcement, which took place at the Downtown Peoria Library. Several hundred people showed up to view the wide variety of art work on display from the student artists across the 18th district. Also, on hand was the Pekin Community High School 17 piece musical ensemble group, Encore.

“I am always amazed by the artwork submitted for the art show and competition. I was very impressed by Maya’s winning submission. She is well deserving of this year’s top honor,” said Schock. “I’m proud the 18th district will be well represented among the art on display in the Capitol.”

Maya’s colored pencil artwork was derived from several sources of inspiration. She combined her imagination from a scene described in the book, The Great Gatsby, and from a drive home one rainy night when the reflection of the street lamps on the road caught her attention. Maya was joined today by her proud parents, Sharad and Elizabeth Jain. 

This year marks the 31st Annual Congressional Art Show and Competition.  Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students, and it serves as an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in each congressional district. 

The art work of the over-all winner of each participating district will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, and the winners from each district will be invited to a reception in Washington DC to take place sometime this summer. The other top winners, listed below, will have the opportunity to have their art work displayed in Schock’s Washington, DC office for one year.

The judges evaluated each piece using the following criteria: Beauty, skill, uniqueness, meaning, and intent. The rankings given by each piece that was chosen in combination with the number of judges who selected a particular piece. Schock then selected a piece from the top-ten category to send to Washington DC to represent the 18th District. 

The judges this year include Barbara Waldord, Member of the Arts Partners; Leslie Williams, Member of Arts Partners and Copywriter for Simantel; Natalia Villanueva, Professional Artist and Sculptress from Paris, and Stacy Peterson, Programming Department and Projects, Peoria Public Library and active member of the Arts community. 

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.  

“The Arts Community is very important in terms of education and economic growth,” said Schock. “When we talk about training the next generation of workers – creative minds, creative thinking are all top qualities that employers look for in new employees. Studies have shown that arts education increases test scores, improves academic skills essential for reading and language development and has been helpful in advancing students’ motivation to learn. Which is why having an arts education and a thriving arts community in any town is important.”  

This year’s Top Ten winners:

• “Passing By” an Acrylic piece Katie Verkuilen of Peoria Norte Dame High School
• “Erin,” a Photography piece by Zoe Volk of Washington High School
• “Shaken,” a white colored pencil drawing by Rosie Hill of Dunlap High School
• “In His Shoes,” a colored pencil drawing by Vanessa Coleman of Havana High School
• “Urban,” a Photography piece by Jessica Revallo of Peoria Notre Dame
• “Of Night and Life,” a colored pencil piece by Maya Jain of Dunlap High School
• “Ophelia,” an Oil Painting by Madison Borop of Peoria Christian High School
• “Recovery and Disorder,” an ink drawing by Vanessa Coleman of Havana High School
• “Do You Remember When?,” a sharpie marker drawing by Hannah Gutzwiller
• “Mom’s World,” HDR Photography by Brock Jump of Havana High School