Two HISD students have been announced as winners of the 2019 U.S. Congressional Art Competition.
Keren Reyes, a freshman from Sharpstown High School, was chosen as the 9th Congressional District’s winner. Her winning piece, ” La Creola,” is a pencil drawing of one of her closest friends who still lives in her home country of El Salvador. According to Sharpstown art teacher Guadalupe Hernandez, when asked why she decided to create the piece, Reyes said that she did not want to forget where she came from and the people she left behind to come to the United States.
Julio Bautista, a sophomore from Mickey Leland Prepatory Academy, was selected as the 18th Congressional District’s winner. His original art work, “Mayan Mindbender,” pays homage to his Hispanic background and the beauty of the Mayan culture.
“When I was making my piece, I kept in mind who and what brought me here,” Bautista said. “My family, and the place I grew up in, made me who I am, and always inspired me to strive for greatness in the art I do.”
In a June ceremony, Reyes and Bautista will be flown to Washington, D.C., where their artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol alongside winners from congressional districts across the nation. Their pieces will be displayed as a part of the yearlong “An Artistic Discovery” exhibition.
The Congressional Art Competition is an annual nationwide visual art competition designed to recognize and encourage artistic talent among high school students. Each spring, students submit their original artwork to their representative’s office, where the top-three winners are selected by a panel of local judges, and the “People’s Choice” Award is chosen by popular vote on social media.