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Washington, DC -- During a virtual reception last week, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) announced the winners of the 2022 Virginia-10 Congressional Art Competition. Out of the more than 75 entries submitted this year, a panel of judges assembled by Congresswoman Wexton selected the winning piece along with first and second place pieces in each category. The virtual reception also featured a keynote speech from Dr. Lauren Onkey, Director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University and a longtime educator, scholar, producer, and museum professional.

The winning artwork, “American Dream,” by Allison Joo of Sterling, a student at Dominion High School, will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year and featured on House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page. The piece can be viewed here.

“Congratulations to all of the Virginia-10 students who put their talents and hard work into creating a masterpiece for this year’s Congressional Art Competition,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “I’m proud to announce that our first place winner is Allison Joo, whose painting titled ‘American Dream’, beautifully depicting a representation of her grandmother’s journey as an immigrant from Korea to America, will represent our district in the U.S. Capitol! Each of the young artists who submitted their pieces for this year’s competition should be immensely proud of their work, and I’m so impressed by the creativity, commitment, and passion that these young artists have demonstrated.”

The virtual gallery of artwork submitted to this year’s contest can be found here, and the video from the virtual reception can be viewed on Congresswoman Wexton’s Facebook page here.

A full list of winners can be found below:

Best in Show - “American Dream” by Allison Joo of Dominion High School

1st Place in Painting - “Beyond” by Callia Sun of Riverside High School/Academies of Loudoun
2nd Place in Painting - “What Type of Leaves are Those” by Helen McCarty of Potomac Falls High School
1st Place in Drawing - “The Price of Freedom”  by An Nguyen of Chantilly High School
2nd Place in Drawing - “Performance by Proxy” by Manmayi Ghaisas of Freedom High School
1st Place in Photography - “Storm of Thoughts” by Logan Schnelzer of Briar Woods High School
2nd Place in Photography - “The Three Captains” by Grace Meehan of Dominion High School
1st Place in Mixed Media - “A Lifetime Later” by Angela Tao Nguyen of Briar Woods High School
2nd Place in Mixed Media - “Social Butterfly” by Gabriella Hoover of Dominion High School
1st Place in Computer Graphics - “Temptation” by Matthew Passaro of Dominion High School
2nd Place in Computer Graphics - “Rose Garden” by Sten Gustafsson of Loudoun School for Advanced Studies

The biographies of the four judges can be found below:

Elizabeth Bracey: Elizabeth Bracey is the Managing Director of Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center in Loudoun County and serves as a staff liaison to the Loudoun County Art Advisory Committee. In 2021, she was awarded the Leadership in the Arts Award from the Purcellville Town Council. Ms. Bracey is passionate about creating community and sees the Arts as an equalizer, a way to bring people together across all demographics. She volunteers with Very Special Arts, an international non-profit organization that offers visual & performing arts opportunities for people with disabilities. 

Abigail “Abi” Gomez: Abigail Gómez is owner and artist at Pretty Girl Painting, a fine art and mural painting business located in the Shenandoah Valley. She is also an adjunct art professor at Shenandoah University. Abigail was appointed by Governor McAuliffe to serve as a Commissioner on the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and is currently Commission Vice Chair. Abigail founded Arte Libre VA, a nonprofit arts organization that empowers Latinx, Black, and Youth of Color through equitable access to quality arts education and programming. Abigail received an MFA in painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco CA.  

Brittany Root: Brittany Root is a visual artist, trained in oil painting but enjoys working in a variety of mediums including oil, pastel, acrylic, and pen and ink. She earned her Masters of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in History and Studio Art from Georgetown University. Brittany creates artwork on commission for private homes and commercial enterprises. In the fall of 2019, she participated in her first sculpture exhibition at the U.S. Botanic Gardens. She currently teaches art at The Langley School in McLean and Art House 7 in Arlington. She serves on the board of directors for McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) organizing exhibition auctions and assisting with programming for adult art education. Ms. Root has a passion for arts education and working with children of all ages to realize their creative potential.

Liz Tenney Jarvis: As a patron of local artists and a promoter of art in the community, Liz was the Chair of the Town of Purcellville’s Arts Council for over six years. During that time, the Arts Council put forth numerous initiatives that brought art to the public sphere (these included art installations, the yearly Pville Cabin Fever Film Festival, arts added to town festivals and recognition of local leaders in the arts). Liz has been called upon on numerous occasions to curate art shows as well as judge art competitions across all mediums and including all ages.

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