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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Eight young artists have been selected as winners in the annual Congressional Art Competition, which is on display in the Balcony Gallery of the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston through April 8. The exhibition is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History (WVDCH).

On Friday, Feb. 19, Deputy Commissioner Caryn Gresham of the WVDCH welcomed guests, and Cabinet Secretary Kay Goodwin of Education and the Arts, Jessica Parker, representing Congressman Alex Mooney and Chad R. Story representing Congressman Evan Jenkins presented first-place awards to Erin Huffman, Lincoln High School, Harrison County; Kayla Barbazette, Capital High School, Kanawha County; and Dakota Sanders, Spring Valley High School, Wayne County. The first-place winners received a $100 gift certificate from Dick Blick Art Materials, and their work will represent West Virginia in the annual Congressional Art Competition for art students. 

An additional five second-place winners received awards including Julie Bott, Lincoln High School, Harrison County; Olivia Roby, Robert C. Byrd High School, Harrison County; Kayla Barbazette, Capital High School, Kanawha County; Chrystal Carrier, Capital High School, Kanawha County; and Natalie Daugherty, Spring Valley High School, Wayne County. Second-place winners received a $50 gift certificate from Dick Blick Art Materials.

The Congressional Art Exhibition consists of 111 pieces by 97 students, grades 9-12, from 17 West Virginia counties. All winners were selected by Nancy-Louise Mottesheard of Charleston. She enjoys teaching and jurying art exhibitions. Mottesheard is a member of Allied Artists of West Virginia and has won awards in exhibitions including the WVDCH West Virginia Juried Exhibition. Her work can be found at universities, private homes, businesses and state collections around the country.

Mottesheard led a blind-contour drawing workshop from 9 a.m. to noon. Fifty-eight students attended and had the option of drawing four different still-life settings to learn visualization techniques.

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 competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. The competition is sponsored by members of the United States Congress and culminates in a year-long exhibition at the United States Capitol building.

A complete list of students whose work is included in the exhibition is below.

For more information, contact Cailin Howe, exhibits coordinator for the division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 128, or email her at cailin.a.howe@wv.gov.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

2016 Congressional Art Competition Participants

BOONE COUNTY
VAN JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Belinda Thobois

Casey Belcher (Grade 9)
Split Geometric Hardedge – Tempera

Sydney Bourne (Grade 9)
Food for the Gods – Tempera

CABELL COUNTY
HUNTINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Diana Frazier

Taylor Bush (Grade 12) 
Black and White Butterfly – Photography

Austin Manley (Grade 12)           
ICE – Photography           

Megan Matt (Grade 11)               
Canadian Waters – Photography               

Elizabeth Nillel (Grade 11)
Sunset from the Banks of the Ohio – Photography           

Halle Pack (Grade 11)    
Wild and Wonderful – Photography        

Emily Stoll (Grade 10)    
Two Butterflies and a Flower – Photography       

Terrance Tate (Grade 12)            
Sunrise – Photography  

HARRISON COUNTY
LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Carolyn Light

Julie Bott (Grade 10)      
Bear – Paper
Second Place, District 1
                    
Olivia Gianettino (Grade 10)   
Bella – Oil Paint 

Erin Huffman (Grade 11)
Best Friends – Scratchboard
First Place, District 1        
and 
Aiden Taken Over – Graphite,chalk

Ashley McCullough (Grade 9)    
Serenity – Paper                              

Brooke Shull (Grade 12)               
Prince Charming – Alcohol ink, acrylics
and              
Nature Never Betrayed the Heart that Loved Her – Alcohol ink  

Hannah Swiger (Grade 10)          
Glasses – Acrylics             

ROBERT C. BYRD HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Katherine Crim

Cheyenne Coffman (Grade 12) 
A Bird in the Hand – Mixed media collage

Halie Hendershot (Grade 11)     
Fire and Ice – Watercolor             

Olivia Roby (Grade 11)  
Koi and Pebbles – Colored pencil
Second Place, District 1             

Peyton Romig (Grade 12)            
Dancing Ladies – Collage               

Madisen Smith (Grade 11)          
Flight – Graphite              

Mariah Vu (Grade 12)   
I am Strong – Acrylics

JACKSON COUNTY
Ripley High School
Art Teacher: Debbie Sisson

Kylie Anderson (Grade 12)          
Peacock – Scratch board               

Brooke King (Grade 12)        
Euphoric – Acrylics           

Darrel Shamblin (Grade 9)           
Early Morning Rays – Photography

Katrina Stalnaker (Grade 12)      
Masquerade – Charcoal

KANAWHA COUNTY
CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Christy Pennington

Hailey Adams (Grade 11)
Hand Glasses – Watercolor
and          
Driving Along – Ink     

Bethany Ansel (Grade 12)           
Girl in front of a Tree – Tempera, India Ink           

Manuel Antonio Toloza Alvarez (Grade 10)        
Alligator Shoes – Graphite           

Kayla Barbazette (Grade 12)  
It’s a Dog’s Life – Watercolor, colored pencil
Second Place, District 2
and        
Human Water Basin – Tempera, India ink
First Place, District 2             

Ben Bradley (Grade 12)
Young Catfish – Scratch board    

Chrystal Carrier (Grade 12)         
Callie – Collage
Second Place, District 2
and          
Purr-fect – Print           

Kayla Cerdena (Grade 12)       
Sun Salutation – India ink, acrylics             

Raigan Hagerman (Grade 10)     
Purple Skies, Black Eyes – Watercolor
and       
The Toe Dip of Destiny – Watercolor

Emily Harrell (Grade 12)           
Mother Nature – Ink      

Destiny Johnson (Grade 11)       
Divinity – Mixed media  
and   
Hope – Watercolor          

Chloe Murphy (Grade 12)        
Cuddle Puddle – Mixed media   
and     
Duck Dog – Watercolor, acrylics, India ink              

Sarah Naegeve (Grade 12)          
Red Fox – Printmaking   
and
Pouncing Your Prey – Newspaper, acrylic paint  

Markeisha Ross (Grade 12)         
How I See – Watercolor

Anastasia Swinson (Grade 12)   
Incubi – Acrylics                
and
In Repose – Ink 

Kathryn Mae Zuckett (Grade 12)              
Deep in Music – Mixed media
and   
Foxes – Colored Pencil

Art Teacher: Sarah Weekley

Ashley Godbey (Grade 9)            
Untitled – Colored pencil, marker             

Cayce Murphy (Grade 11)           
Untitled – Colored pencil, marker

NITRO HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Deborah Pierce

Tiasiah Cline (Grade 10)
Sonder of a Cat – Watercolor, chalk pastel

Peyton Dolin (Grade 12)              
Before the Storm – Oil Paint       
and         
Submerged – Acrylic paint, Sharpie

Natalie Farley (Grade 12)             
Keeper of Time – Mixed media 

Rachel Fisher (Grade 11)              
The Woman from Bengaluru – Oil Paint
and
Grandma’s Silver – Graphite       

Claire Hemme (Grade 12)                            
Untitled – Chalk pastel  

Savannah Hunter (Grade 12)     
Celestial Goddess – Acrylics        

Kegan Moore (Grade 12)                             
Untitled – Pen and Ink   

Hannah Willey (Grade 12)           
Serendipity – Photography          
and
Sole – Photography

LINCOLN COUNTY
Lincoln County High School
Art Teacher: Paul Eliot

Holly Adkins (Grade 12)
Meet the Gingers – Ceramics     

Julia Beckett (Grade 10)               
Untitled – Graphite         

Madison Bowman (Grade 10)    
West Virginia The Mountain State – Ceramics     

Patience Brumfield (Grade 12)  
WV Dream – Ceramics   

Zane Cummings (Grade 9)          
Evil Joker – Graphite       

Timothy Allen Gore (Grade 10) 
Tapsy Render – Digital Art            

Danielle Hannah (Grade 9)          
The Shape – Graphite, Sharpie  

Alyssa Fraser (Grade 9)
Rainbow Fish – Watercolor          

Garett Linville (Grade 10)            
Judgement – Digital Art 

Kat Messinger (Grade 12)           
Trapped Angel – Graphite            

Terry Moore II (Grade 9)             
Who Cares – Graphite   

Tyler Redman (Grade 11)            
George RR Martin – Graphite     

Blaze Scraggs (Grade 9)
The Eye – Digital Art        

Mallory Stanley (Grade 9)           
Winter in the City – Graphite      

LOGAN COUNTY
CHAPMANVILLE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Karen Adkins

Abigail Triplett (Grade 10)
Use Time Wisely  – Watercolor, acrylics, pencil

Alicia Walker (Grade 11)
Dreamworks – Pencil

MASON COUNTY 
Wahama Junior/Senior High School
Art Teacher: Susan Parrish

Reese Roush (Grade 9)
The Ninth Hour – Acrylics

MINGO COUNTY
Mingo Central High School
Art Teacher: Doug Martin

Jessica Sturgell (Grade 12)
Penny Abe Illusion – Collage

PUTNAM COUNTY 
Poca High School
Art Teacher: Cathy L. Thomas

Asia Davis (Grade 10)
Mixed Media Tree – Mixed media

RANDOLPH COUNTY 
Elkins High School
Art Teacher: Nanette Seligman

Mikaela DeMotto (Grade 12)
Infected – Acrylics

Christine Zurbuch (Grade 11)
Earl and I  – Acrylics

RITCHIE COUNTY
Ritchie County High School
Art Teacher: Ruth Ellen Windom

Brianna Moss (Grade 11)             
Rebels – Watercolor

TAYLOR COUNTY
Grafton High School
Art Teacher: Pam Thompson

Brandy Cathell (Grade 12)
Inside My Mind – Mixed Media

Lita Chocky (Grade 11)                  
Wild Soul – Watercolor, acrylics

Abigail Montgomery (Grade 11)               
Self Portrait – Tempera

Carrie Watkins (Grade 11)        
Silences – Tempera         

Victoria Willett (Grade 12)           
Simplicity – Watercolor                                  

TYLER COUNTY
Tyler Consolidated High School
Art Teacher: Joseph Semple

Damara Winfrey (Grade 12)       
Cancer – Ink print, watercolor, marker

WAYNE  COUNTY
Spring Valley High School
Art Teacher: Cheryl Alley

Paige Holland (Grade 11)             
Memory of Events Passed – Mixed media collage             

Baylie Kearns (Grade 11)             
Peeking – Linoleum print              

Liging (Shirley) Ma (Grade 12)   
Untitled – Mixed media collage

Allison Peters (Grade 12)             
Impression of a Bridge – Acrylics               

Kerrigan Phelps (Grade 11)         
Yellow Still Life – Acrylics               

Hannah Ray (Grade 12)
From Space – Acrylics     

Elizabeth Rickman (Grade 12)    
Self-Portrait Reflecting – Graphite

Dakota Sanders (Grade 11)         
Still Life with Deer Skull – Charcoal
First Place, District 3

Michael Smith (Grade 11)            
Self-Portrait – Graphite 

Emily Rose Thompson (Grade 11)            
Glittering Lights – Acrylics             
Art Teacher: Sara Tess Hager

Natalie Daugherty (Grade 10)    
Untitled – Linoleum print
Second Place, District 3             

Erin Ferry (Grade 11)     
Untitled – Pastels            

Elizabeth Mitchell (Grade 11)     
Untitled – Pen and Ink   

Micayla Runyon (Grade 10)        
The Key to the Soul – Linoleum print

WIRT COUNTY
Wirt County High School
Art Teacher: William Brown

Breellen Fleming (Grade 11)
Signa – Digital Art

WOOD COUNTY 
Parkersburg High School
Art Teacher: Jason Brooks

Ashley Casto (Grade 11)                              
Self Portrait – Acrylics    

Alyssa Hackett (Grade 12)           
Self Portait Painting – Acrylics             

Jennifer Reed (Grade 11)            
Day Dreaming Purple – Acrylics                  

Danielle Steed (Grade 12)           
Untitled – Acrylics

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