May 11, 2021
Seventy-seven student artworks were selected for the high school exhibit in the Risser Gallery at the Morean Arts Center. The exhibit will be on display through May 16.
The Best of Show winner for Florida’s 13th Congressional District is Kalya Victor, a 12th grader at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. Her winning photography, titled "Local Hero," will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol.
Honorable Mentions went to:
- Charlotte Bayly, a 12th-grader at Clearwater High, for her painting titled “Saving the Sacred Goat”
- Dan Christopher, a 10th-grader at Gibbs High, for his mixed media artwork titled “Fifty Self Portraits”
The Morean Arts Center is located at 719 Central Ave in St. Petersburg. The public can also view the exhibit in the PCS Student Virtual Art Gallery. At the Virtual Awards Ceremony on May 1, U.S. Rep Charlie Crist shared a special message.
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. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.
Winners from throughout the U.S. are recognized at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. Winning works, like Kalya Victor’s, are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.
