Rep. Juan Vargas Announces Brawley Union High School 9th Grader, Matthew Torres, the 2016 Winner of the Congressional Art Competition
Brawley, CA (May 5, 2016) – Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51) announced the winner of the 2016 Congressional Art Competition at a reception held in Brawley, California for students, parents and community members.
“It’s always inspiring to see the artwork submitted to this annual competition,” said Rep. Vargas. “Talented young artists from our district put their time and passion into creating unique pieces of art that showcase their creativity. Every participant should be proud of the effort they put forth during this competition.”
Matthew Torres, a 9th grade student from Brawley High School, won the competition with his piece titled, “Weave Project”. Visitors of the U.S. Capitol will be able to view Matthew’s artwork, as well as the winning pieces of art from every Congressional district from across the nation, until May 2017. In addition, Matthew will be invited to the national reception held in Washington, D.C. where all the winners will be honored.
“I never thought I would win this competition,” said Matthew Torres. “This artwork is the hardest thing I have ever worked on.”
During the reception, Congressman Vargas also honored the Second and Third Place Winners of the Congressional Art Competition. David Fuñez from Brawley High School, earned second place for his project titled “Old Bones”. Artayne Ramsey from Chula Vista High School, earned third place for her project titled “Portrait of Tucker”.
Mr. Raymond Lopez, Art teacher at Brawley Union High School, makes the art competition part of his semester curriculum and encourages his students to participate.
“This is our ninth year participating and sixth year of winning,” said Mr. Lopez. “I am a true believer that patience, persistence, and hard work, always pays off.”
The 45th Annual Congressional Art Competition is part of the nationwide effort hosted by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to showcase the artistic talents and abilities of students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
Since it began in 1982, over 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition. Last year, Vienna Gambol was selected as the winning artist representing the 51st district for her painting, “I Hate the Primary Colors.”
Vargas represents California’s 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County and California’s entire US/Mexico border. Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and is currently serving his second term in Congress. He represented the 40th California State Senate District from 2010-2012, the 79th California State Assembly District from 2000 – 2006 and served on the San Diego City Council from 1993 – 2000.
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