Local students earn high marks in art competition
Young, talented artists celebrated by Congressman Cicilline
PAWTUCKET — To 15-year-old Stephanie Anne Da Cruz of Pawtucket, a student at East Providence’s Providence Country Day School, art helped her break free from her shyness.
Ever since she was a young girl, she was a bit shy, Da Cruz admits, but she said that art has helped her express herself.
Da Cruz was among a group of local youth artists who were celebrated by U.S. Congressman David Cicilline on Friday, as he announced the three winners from the First Congressional District of Rhode Island as part of the annual nationwide Congressional Art Competition.
Da Cruz finished in second place for her piece titled “Sisters,” a painting of her two sisters Alexia and Catherine. She explained that she was assigned a piece on heritage and as the first generation in her family not to be raised in Africa, she wanted to emphasize her family’s lineage and history. Her sisters’ images appear on the painting over Senegalese fabric, representing her family’s home nation, and the painting will be displayed in Cicilline’s Washington, D.C. office.
Winning first place was Smithfield High School freshman Liliana Zapata for her acrylic painting “Stuck in Time.” She explained that her piece, with its broken
clocks, is symbolic of the challenges with moving forward in life.
By virtue of finishing first, Zapata’s piece – her first acrylic artwork – will be exhibited in the United States Capitol for a year and she will also receive complimentary airline tickets to travel to the nation’s capital.
“I’ve never been to Washington before!” she said excitedly on Friday. “It should be exciting.”
Both Zapata and Da Cruz said that they were stunned to find out they’d finished first
and second respectively.
“It was a huge surprise,” Da Cruz said. “I didn’t feel I could win before. I thought I’d just see art, I didn’t expect to win. It was amazing.”
Zapata echoed the sentiment, saying she was “very shocked. I didn’t think I’d ever be the one winning, I just thought I’d come to look at art.”
The third place winner was North Smithfield High School student Colby Girard for “Tree Lady,” a painting of trees that will be displayed in Cicilline’s Pawtucket office. Girard was unable to attend Friday’s ceremony.
Sponsored by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the art competition provides an opportunity for members of Congress nationwide to encourage and recognize the talents of their young constituents.
The three award-winning students were selected by a panel of judges from a group of 23 young artists who submitted artwork to be considered for the 2017 Congressional Art Competition.
Cicilline said that he always looks forward to hosting the annual Congressional Art Competition, saying “Rhode Islanders have long treasured the arts and the humanities, and this competition is a wonderful opportunity to share the artwork of Rhode Island students with the rest of the country.”
“Liliana, Stephanie, and Colby are great examples of the kind of talent that this competition is designed to highlight,” the congressman added. “I am confident that their artwork will serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of the arts to our students and our communities.”
Toward the end of Friday’s ceremony, Cicilline told the students that their “really, really amazing pieces of art” represented the future for arts and humanities.
Cicilline also noted that employers are always looking for people who are problem solvers and creative thinkers, something that is seen most prominently in the arts. He further said that art provides pathways for the jobs of the 21st century.