Stamford, CT – Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) invites Connecticut high school students to participate in the Congressional Art Competition, a nationwide art competition and exhibition conducted by members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Selected art work will be displayed in an exhibition at Beacon Hall on the campus of Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport from May 15th to 17th.  The winning entry from the exhibition will then be transported to Washington, DC to hang on display in a corridor of the U.S. Capitol for a year alongside winning entries from around the country.

Entries are submitted by high school students from schools in Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District and will be judged by a distinguished panel of community artists with teaching and gallery experience.  Congressman Himes will host an awards ceremony and reception at Beacon Hall on Monday, May 17, 2010, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The deadline to register for this year’s competition is Wednesday, May 5, 2010.  A student information and release form must be completed and signed by the student and a faculty member and faxed to the Congressman’s Bridgeport office at (203) 333-6655, attention Peter Yazbak.  Forms are required to be sent no later than May 5, 2010. Participants may find the release form on the Congressman’s website: https://himes.house.gov/uploads/2009%20Student%20Release%20Form.pdf

Artwork, along with a copy of the student information and release form affixed to the back, should be delivered to Beacon Hall, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT 06604, in care of Art Director Robbin Zella.  Artwork will be accepted from May 10 through May 12, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

The 4th Congressional District first place winner and two guests will be invited to attend the opening ceremonies in Washington, DC in June.  Expenses will be paid for the winner and two adult guests.  The runners-up will have their work displayed in Congressman Himes's Stamford and Bridgeport offices

All high school students who reside in or attend school in the 4th Congressional District are encouraged to participate. Artwork submitted must be original and can be in the form of paintings (oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.), drawings (pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers), collage (must be 2 dimensional), prints (lithographs, silkscreen, block prints), mixed media, computer generated art, or photography. For more information, visit Congressman Himes’s website at:  https://himes.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=76&sectiontree=4,76