Lacey, WA – Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) announced Kyra Brown as the 2023 Congressional Art Competition winner for Washington’s 10th Congressional District. Brown’s painting was selected by a panel of judges and will be displayed in the United States Capitol for one year.
“This is an expressional self-portrait. I am expressing in this pierce that ‘I will not be silent!’ Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is a crisis that is not very well known, despite the thousands of Indigenous people that go missing and are murdered every year,” said student, Kyra Brown. “I am using my voice because my ancestors were robbed of theirs.”
“I want to congratulate Kyra Brown from Steilacoom for winning the Congressional Art Competition,” said Strickland. “This painting expresses a powerful message. The judges and I admire her creativity and use of layering. I look forward to seeing the artwork on display as I walk around the Capitol. I want to thank our judges and all of the students that participated.”
“I selected this piece due to its striking beauty and compelling message. The artist’s wonderful use of layers in the creation of the work matched the layered and tragic complexities surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples.,” said Charles Bloomfield, competition judge.
“I would like to thank Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland for supporting art education in our community and schools and giving such a wonderful opportunity to so many students. It is also important to recognize the high school art teachers who helped their students to excel in the arts,” said Dr. Jennifer Olson, competition judge. “It was difficult to select a winner because there were so many fine works of art. The winner produced an original work of art that brings attention to the current atrocity happening to Indigenous women in our county.”
“I found the layering and symbolism in the piece intriguing and well-composed. The art caused me to linger to find each part of the story. And while the subject matter is distressing, the artwork was thoughtful and respectful to the topic and viewer,” said Donna Taylor Mayo, competition judge.
This year’s panel of judges for Washington’s 10th Congressional District included Jenny Hall and Donna Taylor Mayo; Co-Founders of the Tenino Arts, Charles Bloomfield, Coast Salish artist, arts educator, and University of Washington Professor, Dr. Jennifer Olson, Professor at Pierce College and Tacoma Community College (TCC), and Gallery Coordinator at TCC, and Judith Smith, painter, and retired medical artist.
The Congressional Art Competition was launched in 1982 to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of young constituents from across the country with the chance to display their art in the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is the Congressional Black Caucus Whip, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress, and the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.
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