Congressman Dan Kildee Announces Winner of Fifth District Congressional Art Competition

Kildee Congratulates Winning Swartz Creek Junior, Celebrates Achievements of Mid-Michigan Student Artists

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today announced the winner of the Congressional Art Competition for Michigan's Fifth District. The winner, Swartz Creek's Ashlee Stimson, is a junior at The Valley School. "Mid-Michigan has fantastic student artists, and I'm delighted that every year we have the chance to see beautiful pieces of art that represent the very best of our district," Congressman Kildee said. "The Congressional Art Competition is a great opportunity to celebrate these local-area student-artists." A panel of competition judges selected Stimson as this year's winner. The Valley School junior's winning piece is a mixed media portrait entitled "Killer Queen." A high resolution photo of Stimson's artwork can be viewed below. As the winner, Stimson's artwork will go on display in the Cannon Tunnel to the U.S. Capitol alongside winners from other congressional districts across the country. She will also have the opportunity to come to Washington, D.C. next month with other winning student artists for a reception and ribbon cutting hosted by the Congressional Art Caucus and Congressman Kildee. "I'm excited to walk past Ashlee's artwork every time I walk to the U.S. Capitol," Congressman Kildee said. "Her piece will be a constant reminder of what's great about our district and Michigan." Ashley Hoover, a 12th grader at Vassar High School, had her piece, "Fruit," selected as runner-up. High school junior Daishaneil Newman came in third place with her piece entitled "One." Two leading local artists have continued their tradition of choosing the competition's winning piece of art. One judge, Vicki Frappier, is a mixed media artist and teacher who has worked with the Greater Flint Arts Council, Flint Institute of Arts, and the Left Bank Gallery. The second judge, Greg Feilder, is the current president and CEO of the Greater Flint Arts Council. The Congressional Art Competition recognizes the artistic talents of high school students from each congressional district around the nation. The annual event is sponsored by the members of the House's Congressional Art Caucus. Since the start of the competition in 1982, over 650,000 students have participated.