CONGRESSMAN Jared Polis 2nd DISTRICT OF COLORADO

Congressional Arts Competition: An Artistic Discovery

An Artistic Discovery is an art competition sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. Each Congressional district across the nation hosts a district-wide art competition to determine the best piece of artwork from that district to hang in the U.S. Capitol in June. Deadline for entries is Wednesday, April 18, 2012.

Necessary Forms: Art Entry Label - Student Release Form - Exhibit Inventory Sheet - Label/Inventory Sheet Instructions

Eligibility

• All high school age students in the Second Congressional District are eligible to enter. 
• Students must be currently enrolled in high school, or equivalent alternative, vocational, or private school.
• They must reside in the Second Congressional District. Please be aware that not all students who attend school in the Second Congressional District reside in the Congressman’s district. Though it is not necessary to exclude those students from participating in the district competition, their residency will be taken into consideration when selecting a winner.
• Artwork must be two-dimensional – no sculpture – but can be in virtually any medium, including paintings, drawings, collage, prints, mixed media, computer-generated, and photography. 
• The artwork must be no larger than 28” by 28” to the outside dimensions of the frame, and no more than 4” in depth and ready to hang with frame and wire. Please note that the work, including frame cannot weigh more than fifteen (15) pounds. Work must be suitable to hang in the Capitol, but the decision about this suitability is made by the Capitol Architect. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed.
• The artwork must be original in design, concept and execution – the student and teacher must sign a form attesting to this originality. Student entrants must also sign a release form, which gives the Capitol permission to reproduce their work in conjunction with promotion of the art competition. 

Artwork will hang in the Capitol for the entire year of the exhibition and cannot be returned to students earlier. Students should therefore submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.

Submissions

Students must submit the artwork by the deadline established by the Congressional office (Wednesday, April 18, 2012). The deadline will immediately precede the hanging of the work, as well as the judging of the competition. Students can either submit their artwork to their teacher or they can submit their work directly to the Boulder Office between the hours of 8:30-5 pm or the OZ Gallery in Thornton (subject to specific dates and times). No late work will be accepted.

All works must be accompanied by a Student Information and Release Form and an art Entry Label taped to the back of the work. Submissions should also be ready and able to hang (That means mounted or framed, or in some condition to be placed on a wall). Framing is not necessary for submission, but the winning work will eventually need to be framed. Students will be able to pick up their artwork after the show’s completion.

There will be a panel of judges selected by Congressman Polis to critique the artwork. In addition to having their artwork sent to hang in the U.S. Capitol, the winner is invited to attend a reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony in June.

How to use the Inventory Sheets & Entry Labels

Each teacher’s entries should be listed on one inventory sheet with students’ last names first. Please describe each work clearly on the inventory sheet. Please print clearly or type, double-check spelling of names, and accuracy of information, as inventory sheets are used to create the display labels for the show.

You can complete the inventory sheets electronically and email them to Christine Berg at christine.berg@mail.house.gov in advance. This will reduce your wait time on delivery day, as teachers who have already emailed their inventory sheets can simply drop off the artwork. Otherwise, you can print off the inventory sheet, write in the information, and drop it off with the artwork. Inventory sheets should be accompanied by corresponding entry labels attached to the back of each piece of art work on delivery day. Please note that there are three (3) entry labels per page so photocopy this form as needed.

Please keep at least one copy of the inventory sheet for your records.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, April 18th at 5pm.

Necessary Forms: Art Entry Label - Student Release Form - Exhibit Inventory Sheet - Label/Inventory Sheet Instructions

Staff Contact: If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact Christine Berg at (303) 484-9596 or christine.berg@mail.house.gov.