| Washington, D.C.- Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) presented the Artistic Discovery Award to Joe Schlaud today at a congressional reception hosted by General Motors. Joe, a recent graduate of Lapeer West High School, won the congressional art award from the 9th District of Michigan for his oil pastel painting titled “Sunday Morning”.
“I am proud to have sponsored this competition because it provides students with an opportunity to explore their creativity and imagination,” said Kildee. “I will continue to encourage students to participate in this program because the entire experience is personally gratifying and mentally rewarding.”
As a ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Congressman Kildee has led the effort to protect and continue arts and humanities programs in public schools across the country. Kildee has fought to strengthen and expand the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanitites. In addition, Congressman Kildee has also sought to increase funding for the Arts in Education program, a Department of Education initiative geared toward expanding artistic opportunities for disabled individuals. As a former teacher, Kildee understands the importance of artistic expression and its direct correlation to the academic performance of students.
The 21st Annual Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery, was developed to promote and celebrate the creative spirit of American high school students across the country. Local competitions were held in each congressional district to determine the winning work of art. Congressman Kildee invited two local art professionals to judge the artwork. The judges carefully selected the winning entry after evaluating the creativity, originality, composition and execution of each piece of art. The winning entries will be unveiled and placed on display for a year in the underground walkway, which connects the Cannon House Office Building to the Capitol. In addition, the Savannah College of Art and Design has awarded a $10,000 scholarship to the winning entry from each district. |
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