A local high school student has been chosen as one of the 2016 Congressional Art Competition winners.
Rep. Ann Kuster announced that Merrimack Valley High School junior Richard Ward, a Boscawen resident, won the competition for the 2nd Congressional District of New Hampshire. His graphite drawing, “Inspiring Opportunities,” depicts a young woman looking off into the distance.
Ward’s piece was among other entries submitted to Kuster’s office, where Kimball Jenkins School of Art and the New Hampshire Institute of Art panelists selected the winning entries. Ward will be honored at an awards ceremony at Kimball Jenkins, and he will also join the rest of the 2016 winners at an event in Washington D.C.
Ward’s drawing and the other winning works will be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol, too.
“Each year, I’m amazed by the artistic and creative talent of students across the Second Congressional District,” said Kuster, who is also a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus. “It is so important that we encourage our students to be creative and to embrace the arts as they grow, and I’m so glad that we can help celebrate their work through this annual competition. I congratulate Richard on winning this year’s contest, and I look forward to seeing his piece on display in the U.S. Capitol in the months ahead!”
The high school visual art competition is put on annually by the Congressional Institute in order to encourage artistic talent. It began in 1982, and since then, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.