‘Having the Power to Express & Preserve Beauty’. By Ada Ovitt

STATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) has announced her winner for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition. Rep. Stansbury’s theme this year was “Con Cariño, from NM”. 

This year’s winner, Ada Ovitt, is a sophomore at Albuquerque Academy. The watercolor, collage, and pastel painting titled “Having the Power to Express & Preserve Beauty”, will be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol as well as the House of Representatives’ Congressional Art Competition page.

“I am always so excited to see the art submitted from the young and talented artists in New Mexico,” Rep. Stansbury said. “New Mexico’s arts and culture is incredibly rich and diverse, and I am privileged to share just a small part of our vibrant arts scene in Washington, D.C. Every submission we get is so special and unique—and it’s always so difficult to choose just one piece to display in the Capitol. I want to thank all of the amazing student artists who submitted their work to my office and congratulate Ada on her astounding submission.”  

The Congressional Art Institute has opened an annual competition for high school students across the country each spring since 1982. More than 650,000 students have submitted their art in the four decades that student art has lined the halls of Congress. The first-place artist gets recognized both in their district and at an awards ceremony and reception in Washington in June.