Dear John,

Spring is one of my office's favorite times of the year as we bring together high school artists from across Northeast Pennsylvania to submit their favorite works of art for our Congressional Art Competition.

Now in its tenth year, I look forward to seeing the outstanding artwork created by our district’s young artists, and every year I am blown away by their talent.

Last week, we welcomed more than 100 students, their families and teachers to the gallery opening. We had a record 120 pieces of art from 15 regional high schools that are now on display at the Everhart Museum for the public through May 5th.  

A heartfelt thank you to everyone at the Everhart for going above and beyond in preparing the beautiful exhibit to showcase this year's submissions.

This weekend is your last chance to see the exhibit in person, so be sure to stop by if you are in the Scranton area!

To learn more about this year's competition and the students who took home honors, read on.

Each year, we enlist members of our art communities to serve on our panel of judges to select the winners of the competition.

This year's judges, pictured above from left to right, included Alan Stout, executive director of the Luzerne County Convention & Visitors Bureau and committee member of the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame; Meghan Gallo, program manager for Lackawanna County’s Arts and Culture Program; Juan Espino, owner of the Looking Glass Gallery in Hawley; Mary Kroptavich, executive director of the Art E Fekts Gallery in Pittston; and Clavertis Miller, owner of the Clavertis Miller Fine Arts Gallery in East Stroudsburg.

Thank you judges for offering your time, talents and expertise in selecting the winners of the 2024 Congressional Art Competition.

The first place winner will be recognized at the annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., and their winning artwork will be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.

Second place, third place and honorable mention will have their works displayed in our Scranton Congressional Office for an entire year.

Now, I have the honor of presenting the winners of the 2024 Congressional Art Competition.

Honorable mention was awarded to Maya Zhivkovich, a Sophomore at Delaware Valley High School in Milford, for her work entitled "Transitioning."

Created using graphite and colored pencils, Maya describes her work as helping her experiment with different media and exploring out of her comfort zone.

During the winner's reception, Maya's art teacher Tricia Kaylor, pictured above, accepted the honors on Maya's behalf. Congratulations Maya!

Third place was awarded to Evie Yanaitis, a Sophomore at Wilkes-Barre Area High School, for her portrait entitled "Prior to Soaring."

Created using graphite, Evie describes her work as a girl wearing headphones in a plane prior to soaring. Congratulations to Evie, pictured above at our winner's reception.

With 120 works of art submitted to this year's competition, the judges said it was no easy task to select which students would take home honors.

This year, second place was awarded to an impressively detailed self-portrait created by Scarlett Weir, a Senior at Delaware Valley High School, for her work entitled "Self-Reflection."

Created using graphite, Scarlett describes her work as depicting the difficulties associated with being a young woman in her teenage years. I was honored to recognize Scarlett, pictured above, during our winner's reception. Congratulations Scarlett!

This year, the student who took home first place honors and will represent Northeast Pennsylvania at the Congressional Art Exhibit in the U.S. Capitol for an entire year goes to Delaware Valley High School Senior Youngeun Choi of Milford!

Pictured above with her family, Youngeun's painting is entitled "April 15th," which she created using watercolors and colored pencils. It depicts a beautiful family portrait on the day that Youngeun's family arrived in America.

In describing her work, Youngeun writes:

"On April 15, 2019, my family arrived in America. Since then, each year on April 15th, we take a family photo to commemorate the day of our new start in America.

The painting depicts the very first family photo we took five years ago. Being an immigrant heavily impacted my growing up era because I started my high school year with an environment and culture that I never experienced.

As the eldest child, I was expected to be a good example for my younger siblings while adapting to this unfamiliar culture. In this piece, I conveyed the sense of expectations by the stare of family members looking at me in the center.

Despite the pressure of being a good example, we were still excited for our fresh start in America. In the window behind my family, the growth of grass and leaves depict Spring, which represents a season of fresh start.

I also wanted to express the sense of immigration by the stamp of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Through this piece, I intend to encourage other immigrants who are also starting a new life in America. The confidence and determination of the stare of the eyes of the figure in the center, which is me, wants to say: You can do this."

Youngeun, we are honored to have your artwork and the beautiful story that inspired it represent Northeast Pennsylvania in the U.S. Capitol for an entire year. I look forward to seeing you and your family in Washington for this year's annual awards ceremony!

A heartfelt thank you to all of the students who participated in our 2024 Congressional Art Competition.

I couldn’t be prouder of every student who had the courage to submit their art for critique.

This competition reflects how the arts continue to thrive in our schools, and I appreciate the dedication of our art educators who encourage creativity and exploration every day.

Be safe and well,