CLEVELAND, TN – Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D., has announced the kickoff to his 2017 Congressional Art Competition. The U.S. House of Representatives sponsors the nationwide contest each spring. Since 1982, when the program first began, over 650,000 high school students across the country have participated.

     “Every year, I’m amazed at the level of talent Tennessee students display, as well as their range of subject material and tools. I enjoy looking at the world through their eyes,” said Rep. DesJarlais (TN-04). “I can’t wait to see this year’s entries and to meet the artists in person.”

    The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students in Tennessee’s Fourth District. The submission deadline is April 17 (more details below). A Middle Tennessee State University Art Department faculty member will judge the contest. Rep. DesJarlais will host a reception for the top ten entrants, and the winning artist’s work will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year.  

     Southwest Airlines will fly the winning artist and a guest to Washington, D.C., for a national reception this summer. 

A SUMMARY OF CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION RULES:

Artwork may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, up to 4 inches in depth, and must not weigh more than 15 pounds. The artwork may be a:

• Painting - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
• Drawing - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
• Collage - must be two dimensional
• Print - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
• Mixed Media - use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
• Computer-generated art
• Photography

All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws. Work submitted must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction). Submissions must be dropped off at one of Rep. DesJarlais’ district offices by 4:00 pm, Monday April 17, 2017:

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