Lakewood, WA – Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) announced Lincoln Chaney as the 2024 Congressional Art Competition winner for the district. Chaney’s painting, Chameleons, was selected by a panel of jurors and will be displayed in the United States Capitol for one year.
The theme of this year’s competition was “Joy” and high school students submitted artwork expressing what joy means to them.
“Where people look the same on the outside, you have to look inside to find their true happiness,” said student Lincoln Chaney. “I want people to feel like they have to see the inside of people, not their appearance when they look at my painting. I was inspired by Shaina McCoy and Donald Glover/Childish Gambino.”
“I congratulate Lincoln Chaney from DuPont on winning the Congressional Art Competition. The jurors admired Lincoln’s painting technique and his interpretation of the theme ‘Joy’,” said Strickland. “I want to thank all the talented students who submitted pieces this year, and shared their creativity with our community.”
“There is a lot to love about Lincoln’s piece. Conceptually, the obscured identity of the figures generates a pathway into the artwork for viewers, allowing them to project their own identities and perspectives into the artwork,” said Carrie Chema, competition juror. “It generously welcomes everyone to consider what joy means to them.”
“This piece was chosen due to the richness of depth in its message along with mesmerizing imagery,” said PḰȺELWEȽTEN, Charles Bloomfield, competition juror. This piece serves to remind us that joy is both a universal emotion and a uniquely individual experience thus, we must look deep to understand what brings joy to a person as a singular individual.”
“The artists used a great sense of creativity as well as form and space. Education and programming in the Arts are so important because they cultivate these particular skills each student houses and build a great foundation for future, much more elaborate projects in their creative adulthood,” said Lourdes Jackson, competition juror.
“Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland has provided an important real-world experience for students in her district through the Congressional Art Competition. Thanks also goes to the art teachers for helping their students to excel in art and teaching them to present their work in a professional manner,” said Dr. Jennifer Olson, competition juror. “The students created some aesthetically interesting and thoughtful works of art based on their interpretation of the theme of “Joy” for the competition this year.”
This year’s panel of jurors for Washington’s 10th Congressional District included former university professor, Indigenous documentary filmmaker, activist and Coast Salish artist PḰȺELWEȽTEN (English name Charles W Bloomfield); Pierce College and Tacoma Community College (TCC) professor Dr. Jennifer Olson; multi-disciplined artist & designer Lourdes Jackson; and Head of Evergreen State College Instructional Photography and multimedia artist Carrie Chema.
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 whip for the Congressional Black Caucus, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, and one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress.
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