Bishop Announces Winner Of Congressional Art Competition

Albany, Ga. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today announced that Hans Perez of Peach County High School in Fort Valley, Ga., is the winner of the 2009 Congressional Art Competition. Perez’s work, “Guarding Freedom,” will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, along with the winning entries from other Congressional districts across the country.

“The goal of the Congressional Art Competition is to encourage young artists, promote art education and give recognition to the outstanding work that our schools are doing to enable young people to realize their potential,” Bishop said at today’s award ceremony. “Mr. Perez’s work is a worthy representation of the artistic talent in Southwest Georgia. He should be proud of this accomplishment.”

In addition to the winning entry, the following runners-up were selected:

Second runner up: Seung Kim of Columbus High School for “Springtime at the Cottage;”

Third runner up: Kelly Canady of Thomas County Central High School for “Four Boats;”

Honorable Mention: Karen Swann of Brookwood High School for “Untitled.”

Judges for this year’s Second District contest were Dr. Ulf Kirchdorfer, Dean of Humanities and Professor of English at Darton College here in Albany, and Janice Rentz, President of the Georgia Artist Guild of Albany.

Initiated by Members of Congress in 1982, the Congressional Art Competition is an annual art competition that allows high school students from all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories to showcase their artistic ability. The winning works from each Congressional District are displayed in a year-long exhibit in the Cannon tunnel that leads to the U.S. Capitol building.