New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
‘It speaks to so many things’
Teen’s photo chosen to be on display in U.S. Capitol
NORTH HAVEN — The phone call was a surprise. When North Haven High School student Zoey LoPresti answered, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro was on the line other line, telling LoPresti her photograph had won the Congressional Art Award.
“I answered the phone and I put it on speaker and I went to my mom’s room…and then I heard (DeLauro) say that I won,” said LoPresti, who is now a senior at North Haven High School. “I was really excited, and the feeling, it just like overwhelmed me a little bit.”
“Congressional’s like cream of the crop. It’s kind of like the Super Bowl for teachers and the student. I’ve entered it several times.”
Wendy Wade, LoPresti’s photography teacher
Thanks to the win, the photograph — which was taken at the high school — is now on display inside the United States Capitol.
Wendy Wade, LoPresti’s photography teacher, said LoPresti is her first student to earn that honor. She has taught art for 25 years.
“Congressional’s like cream of the crop. It’s kind of like the Super Bowl for teachers and the student,” Wade said. “I’ve entered it several times.”
Students submit entries to their United States representative’s office, which chooses one winner from their district, often with the help of panels of local artists, according to the Congressional Institute’s website.
The winning artwork is displayed for one year in the Capitol.
LoPresti’s photo shows a girl peaking out from behind a semisheer gray scarf. The model’s left had holds the front of the scarf to her cheek, partly obscuring her face; the back of the scarf is draped over her hair.
For LoPresti, the photo is a little mysterious. It evokes themes of “(being) lost, or running away from something, or hiding,” she said.
She snapped the picture on a fall day in 2019. Short on time, her Advanced Placement photography class decided to take photos near their own room, Wade said.
A student who often modeled for the class was playing around with a cloth, wrapping it around her face, when LoPresti pressed the shutter button.
“It just looked like (the model) was like trying to hide for something, and then after that I realized the background didn’t really match
... I edited it to black and then it made her pop out more,” LoPresti said.
The result “was just stunning,” Wade said.
“What I like about it now is that it speaks to so many things that are current in the world for us, whether it’s women’s rights in other countries or not being able to speak or use your voice” or needing to wear a mask because of the pandemic,
Wade said.
“Zoey’s photograph was sophisticated in both message and execution. With wonderful use of texture and composition, particularly on the fabric of the scarf, the photo speaks volumes,” DeLauro said in a written statement provided by an aide. “It is an excellent piece of artwork that I could see hanging in my home.”
Wade said LoPresti has a talent for taking photos that make statements.
LoPresti’s AP portfolio includes a series of photos featuring chess boards. Her essay on the artwork ties the chess pieces themes of social hierarchies, Wade said.
“She just does such a fantastic job,” Wade said. “I think that she just sees things a lot differently and has a good way of even using inanimate objects to make statements.”
The LoPresti family said Wade has a lot to do with Zoey LoPresti’s success.
She is “encouraging and is always there for you if you need help with something. She pushed me to submit my artwork to” different competitions, LoPresti said.
Darcee LoPresti, Zoey LoPresti’s mom, said Wade helped her daughter come out of her shell.
What stands out about Wade is “her personal and individual level with each child and like their particular talent,” Darcee LoPresti said.
“Not every kid has the same exact talent, you know, and she really knows how to find it in a kid,” she said.
Wade recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to see LoPresti’s photo.
But she ran into a problem: amid COVID-19 restrictions, only staff were allowed inside the Capitol.
She wasn’t able to see get inside, but she had brought a print of LoPresti’s
piece and took a picture with it outside the iconic building.
LoPresti and her family also have not yet been able to see the photo on display.
Darcee LoPresti said the family was told they would receive two plane tickets to attend an an awards ceremony at the Capitol this past summer. The trip did not materialize — the last the family heard, Darcee LoPresti said, was that the ceremony might not happen.
“I just wish...we could actually see it hanging there,” she said. “It’s a big deal, so not to be able to go it’s kind of, you know, disappointing.”
DeLauro’s office didn’t have an update on the reception but “has been closely monitoring the developments related to the Congressional Art Competition celebration,” according to a statement by spokesperson Katelynn Thorpe.
“Once we have information regarding a reception, we will let Zoey know,” the statement says. “Because she won the art competition, she will receive two round-trip tickets to Washington, D.C., courtesy of Southwest Airlines to attend the reception.”
DeLauro met LoPresti at a local celebration in July, according to the email.
“I thank Zoey for taking the time to create something so beautiful and thought-provoking and look forward to seeing what she creates in the future,” she said in the statement. “I am hopeful that she will be able to visit me at the United States Capitol soon to celebrate this accomplishment.”
Meanwhile, Wade is determined to return to D.C.
“I’m gonna go back,” she said. “I gotta get into that building.”