Rep. Raskin’s 2021 Congressional Art Competition Virtual Gallery

Rep. Jamie Raskin
16 min readMay 5, 2021

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Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Now in its 40th year, more than 650,000 high school students have participated since the competition’s inception in 1982.

The winner of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition for Maryland’s 8th District is Yun Ji Choi of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. There are 17 second-place honorees from Carroll, Frederick, and Montgomery Counties. 125 high schoolers from more than 30 schools participated in this year’s 8th District competition. Check out their amazing artwork below!

First Place Winner

Title: “Promise To Keep You Safe”
Artist: Yun Ji Choi of Walter Johnson High School
Medium: Digital

Second Place Honorees — Carroll County

Left:
Title: El Camino de Esperanza
Artist: Taylor Palomo of Winters Mill High School in Westminster
Medium: Oil Paint on Panel

Center:
Title: Every Which Way
Artist: Emily Stillings of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Digital Photography

Right:
Title: Loss of the Mind
Artist: Hamza Woodson of Winters Mill High School in Westminster
Medium: Graphite, Colored Pencil, China Marker

Second Place Honorees — Frederick County

Left:
Title: Pearfection
Artist: Aidan Leskoski of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Photography

Right:
Title: Purple Mystery
Artist: Natalie Fox of Middletown High School in Middletown
Medium: Oil pastel

Second Place Honorees — Montgomery County

Left:
Title: Composed
Artist: Katherine Yoon of Holton-Arms School in Bethesda
Medium: Acrylic

Right:
Title: October Potomac
Artist: Olivia Brett-Major of Holton-Arms School in Bethesda
Medium: Photograph (cell phone camera)

Left:
Title: Chinatown
Artist: Myka Fromm of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville
Medium: Photograph

Right:
Title: Static
Artist: Ava Dettling of National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C.
Medium: Drawing, Ink

Left:
Title: The Puppeteer
Artist: Jerry Ji of Landon School in Bethesda
Medium: White Pastel on Paper

Right:
Title: Venice
Artist: Yonina Levisohn of Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

Left:
Title: Borders
Artist: Sofia Montes Garzon of Albert Einstein High School Kensington
Medium: Scratchboard

Right:
Title: Grace
Artist: Regina Orradottir of Albert Einstein High School Kensington
Medium: Colored pencil

Left:
Title: Never Mail an Elephant
Artist: Kelsea Petersen of Albert Einstein High School Kensington
Medium: Acrylic

Right:
Title: The green dog
Artist: Grady Williams of Albert Einstein High School Kensington
Medium: Digital

Left:
Title: Braiding
Artist: Joyce Wang of Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville
Medium: Graphite Pencil

Right:
Title: Immortalized Mask
Artist: Nadine Vos of Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Oil paint on Gesso Board

Additional Participants

Left:
Title: A Bright Spot in a Gloomy Day
Artist: James Shelton of Landon School in Bethesda
Medium: Collage

Right:
Title: A Princess and A Soldier of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Artist: Megan Neill
Medium: Digital

Left:
Title: A Serene Butterfly
Artist: Ron Nuriely Kimel of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville
Medium: Photography

Right:
Title: Alive
Artist: Emily Hammack of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Markers

Left:
Title: All Eyes on Me
Artist: Erin Welch of Century High School in Sykesville
Medium: Photography

Right:
Title: Amanda Gorman: An Inspiration of Our Time
Artist: Eisella Pearson of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Digital Illustration

Left:
Title: Animal Kingdom
Artist: Ethan Tun of Landon School in Bethesda
Medium: Bic Ballpoint Pen and Sketchpaper

Center:
Title: Antiques Crocks
Artist: Maddie Wilkes of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Graphite, Charcoal, and Coffee

Right:
Title: Anxiety
Artist: Lindsay Gaiser of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Pen and Ink

Left:
Title: Apprehensive
Artist: Ziyi Lu of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Digital

Right:
Title: Bisous
Artist: Ariana Plotas of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Acrylics

Left:
Title: Black Ant
Artist: Melody Stone of The Siena School in Silver Spring, MD
Medium: Charcoal, White Gel Pen

Right:
Title: Branch in Ices
Artist: Javon Lecky of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Photography

Left:
Title: Checkmate
Artist: Elyon Topolosky of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville
Medium: Photograph

Center:
Title: Corn Harvest
Artist: Isabella Tiboni of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Photograph

Right:
Title: Courage — Hand Of Democracy
Artist: Raunak Banerjee of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Charcoal

Left:
Title: Autumn Acorns
Artist: Sebastian Tulin of Winston Churchill High School in Potomac
Medium: Photograph

Right:
Title: Black is Beautiful
Artist: Mac Button of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Digital Painting

Left:
Title: Curious Wonder
Artist: Larisa Kachko of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Oil Paint

Center:
Title: Daydreaming
Artist: Ella Majd of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.
Medium: Watercolor

Right:
Title: Dazed
Artist: Monserrat Velazquez of Winters Mill High School in Westminster
Medium: Oil Paint

Left:
Title: Dementia
Artist: Jasmine Hall of Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville
Medium: Pen and Ink Stippling

Right:
Title: Healthcare Heroes
Artist: Evelyn Troy of James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Mixed Medium (Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Brush Pen)

Left:
Title: Digital Dodgin’
Artist: Emily Chaconas of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Digital

Right:
Title: Dreaming of Simpler Days
Artist: Chantal Nano of Home School
Medium: Digital

Left:
Title: Emotions Expressed With The Mask
Artist: Christina Joe of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville
Medium: Pencil and Ink on Paper

Center:
Title: Eunoia
Artist: Melini Lopez of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville
Medium: Digital

Right:
Title: Existential Invocation
Artist: Izabella Manning of Linganore High School in Frederick City
Medium: Digital

Left:
Title: Eye of Justice
Artist: Jaden Stokes of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Acrylic Paint

Center:
Title: Faces in a Crowd
Artist: Alanna Sidlowski of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Gouache

Right:
Title: Falling Self-Portrait
Artist: Kylie Putt of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Acrylic

Left:
Title: Fear
Artist: Isabella Khoury of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Pen and Ink

Center:
Title: Finding Contrast and Perspective in a Dark Place
Artist: Natalie Branner of Westminster High School in Westminster
Medium: Charcoal

Right:
Title: Fish Bag
Artist: Sydni Coombs of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Graphite, Watercolor

Left:
Title: Friends from Rio
Artist: Sarah Hart of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Colored Pencil

Center:
Title: Frozen in Time
Artist: Madeline Henn of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Digital Photography

Right:
Title: Garden of Eden
Artist: Sarah Haines of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Acrylic, Paper

Left:
Title: Ghost
Artist: Makayla Crosby of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Photography

Center:
Title: Going Up?
Artist: Maya Frey of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Photography

Right:
Title: Grandma’s Identity
Artist: Madison Zhao of Walt Whitman High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

Left:
Title: Grateful
Artist: Bryson Farrill of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Graphite Pencil

Center:
Title: Growth from Beyond
Artist: Calista Brown of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Graphite

Right:
Title: Grow Regardless
Artist: Ashley Foster of John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton
Medium: Clip Studio Paint

Left:
Title: Halo
Artist: Certitude Lembion of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Digital Painting

Right:
Title: Hold On
Artist: Katie Moorer of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville
Medium: Watercolor

Left:
Title: Hand From Observation
Artist: Kendall Hamilton of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Graphite, Oil Pastel

Right:
Title: Me
Artist: Greta Shambeau of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Graphite

Left:
Title: Hiding
Artist: Nicole Fang of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville
Medium: Digital Art

Right:
Title: Hope “Qi”
Artist: Sophia (Yifei) Fan
Medium: Digitally Created on Tablet

Left:
Title: Ice-Cream Man
Artist: Alexandra Lemus of John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton
Medium: Indian Ink

Center:
Title: In My Head
Artist: Caitlin Hofmann of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Acrylic Paint

Right:
Title: Inari
Artist: Jeff Duong of Landon School in Bethesda
Medium: Watercolor

Left:
Title: Inside My Mind
Artist: Riana Ramoutar of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Mixed Media Collage

Center:
Title: Isolation
Artist: Georgia Svoboda of Edmund Burke School in Washington, D.C.
Medium: Acrylic

Right:
Title: Jimmy’s Ghost
Artist: Nava Fischman-Charry of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville
Medium: Photography

Left:
Title: Lungs of the Earth
Artist: Gabriela Delgado of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Collage/Mixed Media

Right:
Title: My Personal Items
Artist: Gabriella Fish of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Graphite

Left:
Title: Kyoto Culture
Artist: Brandi Ling of Montgomery Blair High School in Wheaton
Medium: Digital Art

Right:
Title: Life is Weird
Artist: Taylor Polonsky of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville
Medium: Brush Markers, Graphite Pencil

Left:
Title: Marley Enjoying Nature
Artist: Jason Malik of Home School
Medium: Digital Photography

Right:
Title: Melancholy
Artist: Jack Clauss of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda
Medium: Oil on Canvas

Left:
Title: Merry Marigolds
Artist: Andres Guerra of John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton
Medium: Photography

Center:
Title: Modern House
Artist: Dhruv Narang of Landon School in Bethesda
Medium: Pencil(HB, 4B, 2H, 4H, H, 6B)

Right:
Title: Mother and Its Children
Artist: Clarissa Branson of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda
Medium: Oil on Canvas

Left:
Title: Network
Artist: Gwendolyn Wiley of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda
Medium: Graphite, Watercolor, Collage

Right:
Title: Night Owl
Artist: Clare Siffermann of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Acrylic Paint

Left:
Title: Painted Hands Portrait
Artist: Olivia Adams of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Photography

Center:
Title: Pairs of Pears
Artist: William Salter of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Graphite, Paste and Charcoal

Right:
Title: Piper
Artist: Kaitlyn Scott of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Pen and Ink

Left:
Title: Pointsettia Macro
Artist: Kailey Jarboe of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Photography

Center:
Title: Porcelain
Artist: Violet Cancro of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Oil Paint

Right:
Title: Porch Light
Artist: Paige Coulson of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Pen and Ink

Left:
Title: Powdered Sugar Pastry
Artist: Jillian Casey of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Colored Pencil

Right:
Title: Press A to Join
Artist: Selena Mansfield of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Acrylic Paint

Left:
Title: Racing Dogs
Artist: Jake Rulnick of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville
Medium: Oil and Acrylic on Canvas

Center:
Title: Redamancy
Artist: Emma Grospierre of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Digital Art

Right:
Title: Remembrance of Lost Time
Artist: Zihan (Flora) Zhou of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda
Medium: Oil Painting

Left:
Title: Royal Pears
Artist: Evan Royal of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Graphite and Charcoal

Right:
Title: Self-portrait, 015
Artist: Christina Cao of Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville
Medium: Digital Art (Clip Studio Paint)

Left:
Title: Russian Nesting
Artist: Jenna Smith-Euben of The Siena School in Silver Spring, MD
Medium: Painting

Right:
Title: Studio Apartment
Artist: Katharine Barnett of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Ink

Left:
Title: Shoe Perspectives
Artist: Ashley Baer of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Graphite

Right:
Title: Shred
Artist: Justin Sheetz of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Digital Photo

Left:
Title: Sleepy Meerkat
Artist: Hannah Kathrina and Paul Samuel Boaz of John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton
Medium: Photography

Right:
Title: Spring Smile
Artist: Maria Bautista-Calderon of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Acrylic Paint

Left:
Title: Skeletons of Time
Artist: Aurea Sellmeyer of Home School
Medium: Pencil

Right:
Title: Sleepy
Artist: Jennifer Qiu of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda
Medium: Computer-generated art

Left:
Title: Steampunk Moon
Artist: Ashley Young of Westminster High School in Westminster
Medium: Drawing

Center:
Title: Still Life In Blue
Artist: Caroline Smith of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Oil Paint

Right:
Title: Still
Artist: Colin Reno of Oakdale High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Graphite

Left:
Title: Stone Ridge Bunny
Artist: Ellie Muldoon of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda
Medium: Acrylic Paint

Right:
Title: Take Action and Save Our Earth
Artist: Mya Simpson of Sherwood High School in Silver Spring
Medium: Digital Art

Left:
Title: The Falcon
Artist: Thomas Shelton of Landon School in Bethesda
Medium: Painting

Center:
Title: The Golden Phoenix
Artist: Kyra Walsh of Colonel Zadok Magruder High School in Derwood
Medium: Pen and Ink, Digital

Right:
Title: The Mask Maker
Artist: Julia Angel of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville
Medium: Acrylic on Multimedia Paper

Left:
Title: The Rivers of Blood
Artist: Anael Roig-Gicquel of Rochambeau, The French International School in Bethesda
Medium: Watercolor

Center:
Title: The Tiger
Artist: Madeline Blattau of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Mixed Media

Right:
Title: The Women Are Speaking
Artist: Lylah Messinger of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda
Medium: Acrylic

Left:
Title: Tianchi Lake
Artist: Yik Hin Lau of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Watercolor

Right:
Title: Tunnel Light
Artist: Julia Lin of Walkersville High School in Walkersville
Medium: Photography

Left:
Title: Things at Home
Artist: Cassidy Sill of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Graphite

Right:
Title: Wood Duck on Sligo Creek
Artist: Anthony Bonilla Duron of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington
Medium: Mixed Media

Left:
Title: Turtle at Home
Artist: Suhaila Wible of Liberty High School in Eldersburg
Medium: Watercolor

Right:
Title: Where the Greek Gods Never Walk
Artist: Ella Arking of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville
Medium: Photography

Left:
Title: Wooden Objects from Alaska
Artist: Courtney Nowacki of Oakdale High School in Ijamsville
Medium: Graphite, Charcoal, and Acrylic Paint

Center:
Title: Work Desk Still Life
Artist: Nolan Brenowitz of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville
Medium: Chalk Pastel

Right:
Title: Yellow Bloom
Artist: Emily Smalt of Middletown High School in Middletown
Medium: Photography

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Rep. Jamie Raskin

Proudly serving Maryland's beautiful Eighth Congressional District and leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Congress.