[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8630]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING PARTICIPANTS AND MEMBERS OF THE D.C. CONGRESSIONAL ART 
                     COMPETITION COMMITTEE AND JURY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 2, 2017

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing the D.C. students who 
submitted artwork for the annual D.C. Congressional Art Competition. I 
also seek recognition for the members of the committee who volunteered 
to make this event a success, as well as the competition jurors--
members of the community who judged the students' artwork. The 
competition will take place tomorrow, Saturday, June 3, 2017 at the 
Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars.
  The Congressional Art Competition has taken place in all 
Congressional districts since 1982 to encourage students interested in 
participating in the arts. This year, my office received 120 
submissions from students in grades 8-12 from public, charter, and 
private schools across the District.
  The members of the D.C. Congressional Art Competition committee are 
from a variety of backgrounds in the community--academia, small 
business and local government. I am happy to recognize the following 
committee members for their tireless work in putting together this 
year's Congressional Art Competition:
  Thomas Atkins, is a former member of my staff who has continued to 
serve as an advisor each year for this competition. We depend on Mr. 
Atkins because of his background and know-how in supervising our art 
competition when he was on our staff.
  Yaida Ford, an attorney for Ford Law Pros P.C., has been a valued 
presence in our art competition in the past, and has come through yet 
again this year. She ensures that her firm can purchase valuable and 
useful gifts for the winners.
  Tiffani Gomez, of Blick Art Materials, helps run art drives for the 
competition and gets the word out to students who may not have heard 
about the competition from our office. She was particularly helpful in 
getting out the word on social media.
  Jennifer Littrell, Program Lead at Children's National Health System, 
is particularly helpful in getting the word out for the competition via 
creative flyers and other publications.
  Patricia O. Mitchell is a Senior Systems Developer for Amtrak. I have 
known Patricia for many years and she has done essential work for the 
committee. Ms. Mitchell helps the committee reach out to food vendors 
for the reception.
  Greg Scott is the Gallery & Exhibition Coordinator for the Children's 
National Health System. Our office partners with Children's National 
and they regularly hang the artwork of the student participants. Mr. 
Scott is also a curator and will be very helpful in the setup of the 
event.
  Zoma Wallace, Art Bank Coordinator for the D.C. Commission on the 
Arts and Humanities, helps with day-to-day logistics for this event. 
Her work and input is so valued that she also serves as a juror. Ms. 
Wallace held this dual role last year, and we are happy to have her on 
both teams again.
  The following individuals served as jurors--judging the students' 
artwork and selecting the winners. I am deeply grateful to have each of 
them, for bringing their unique perspectives and individual talents to 
the panel:
  Iwan Bagus is a photographer and professor at the University of the 
District of Columbia and American University. We are fortunate that Mr. 
Bagus has been serving on this competition's jury for many years and 
also helps secure prizes for the winners.
  Aaron Bryant, Mellon Curator of Photography at Smithsonian National 
Museum of African American History and Culture, has been serving on the 
jury for the last two years. From his extensive work in the humanities, 
Mr. Bryant brings a wealth of knowledge as a judge this year.
  Sarah Muse, Creative Coordinator for the Smithsonian American Art 
Museum, is a new member of the jury for 2017. We are happy to have her 
expertise on our judging panel this year.
  Kevin Nunley is Vice-President of Student Affairs at The Washington 
Center. Our office enjoys a special partnership with The Washington 
Center, which has hosted the event for the last two years at their 
venue.
  Jack Rasmussen is Director and Curator of the American University 
Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, and is also a new member of the 2017 
jury. We are fortunate to have his expertise and insight as a judge 
this year.
  Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe is Executive Director at D.C. Arts and 
Humanities Education Collaborative and has been generous in serving on 
the jury for the last two years.
  I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the 
committee members, jurors, participants and winners in this year's 
Congressional Art Competition.

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