04/30/12 On Saturday, Congressman Joe Donnelly congratulated the winners of the 2012 Congressional Art Competition by video message at Crossroads Gallery in South Bend. Over 120 local high school students participated in this year’s art competition. Donnelly announced that Mariah Rippy, a student at John Glenn High School in Walkerton, won first place for her entry, Chained to a Dream. Her winning entry will be on display in the Cannon Tunnel leading to the U.S. Capitol building for one year starting this June.
“I congratulate our 2012 Congressional Art Competition winners for their exceptional work,” said Donnelly. “I’m proud to host this event each year to recognize the artistic talent of high school students across Indiana’s Second Congressional District. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for high school students to build their portfolios for higher education in the field. I appreciate the hard work, creativity, and time that all of the students put into their submissions, and I thank them for participating.”
Donnelly also thanked The Frame Factory of South Bend for donating framing services for Mariah’s piece and Southwest Airlines for donating 2 roundtrip tickets to Washington, D.C. for Mariah and one of her parents to attend the Congressional Art Competition Grand Opening Ceremony.
Every spring since 1982, Members of Congress have sponsored a nationwide art competition for high school students. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition.
