DeLauro Announces the 2017 Congressional Arts Competition Winner

May 6, 2017
Press Release

NEW HAVEN, CT (May 6, 2017) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today visited Gateway Community College to announce the winner of the 2016 Congressional Arts Competition and meet the 36 students from Connecticut's Third Congressional District who participated in this year's competition. During the event, DeLauro announced Catherine Valloso from Sacred Heart Academy in East Haven as the winner of the annual competition.

"The Congressional Arts Competition is an event that I look forward to every year and I would like to thank all of the artists who have shared their works with the community," said DeLauro. "The artists we honor today may be young, but their works are already sophisticated in both message and execution. I hope each of these artists will continue to develop and refine their talents, and share their artistic vision with our community. Our lives are richer and fuller with the arts and I thank all of these young artists for taking the time to create something so beautiful and thought-provoking."

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.

Valloso's self-portrait colored pencil piece will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol until May 2018 and she will receive two round-trip tickets to travel to Washington, DC to see her artwork. The second place runner-up is Ashley Feliconio from Sacred Heart Academy and she will have her untitled watercolor piece displayed in DeLauro's Washington, DC office. The third place runner-up is Kim Ly from North Haven High School and she will have her charcoal and graphite piece, "Anatomy of a Sculptural Icon: Guardian Lion" displayed in DeLauro's New Haven office.

Honorable mentions were also awarded to the following students:

  • Caitlin Hoey from Stratford High School for her scratchboard etching titled, "The Sugar Bowl"
  • Najae Thomas from Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School for her untitled gelatin silver photograph
  • Amelia Rozear from Junior at Sacred Heart Academy for her untitled acrylic on canvas piece

###