Mann Patel, an Indian American student from Fremont Ross High School, Marion, Ohio, has been placed third in the 4th Congressional District Art Competition, held in Washington, DC.
The Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition, each spring, to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. The Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982 and more than 650,000 high school students have participated.
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Students submit the entries to their representative’s office and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized in both their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.
Patel, 17, a senior at Ross, was honored for his work during a reception at the Marion County Building. Artwork from all the 30 entrants were on display at the county complex in downtown Marion ahead of the announcement of the winning piece.
“The project was about concealment, and I had my dad stand behind glass and I used a filter and Photoshop to create the photo,” Patel said. Patel is the son of Sheetal and Aashish Patel and have plans to major in medicine. He will attend the University of Cincinnati in the fall.
“Art is more of a hobby,” Patel said. “I got into it my freshman year — I prefer photography.”
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Seth Brown, a senior at Lehman Catholic High School in Sidney, has won the competition. His self-portrait montage was drawn with colored pencils and will be on display with works by other district winners from across the nation at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington for one year.
As the congressional district winner, Brown will be offered two airline tickets to visit the display of artwork in the U.S. Capitol. He is also eligible to receive a scholarship.
Ava Johnston, a junior at Pleasant High School in Marion County, was the runner-up in the art competition.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana and his wife, Polly, attended the reception and presented awards to the top artists.
By Premji
