Superior student wins congressional art contest by capturing 'The Beauty of Wisconsin'

Shelley Nelson, Superior Telegram, Wis.
·2 min read

May 8—SUPERIOR — A Superior High School student took first place in Wisconsin's 7th District 2024 Congressional Art Competition.

Aila Laakso, a sophomore, was among 32 students who submitted artwork for the competition this year.

Encouraged by her art teacher, Olivia White, Laakso got to work researching past winners and determining the best medium to fit the theme for this year's competition, "A Day in the Life of Wisconsin."

Laakso chose ink and watercolor for her piece.

"She said she thinks ink is the right media that she's going to use, but she noticed that a lot of winners had used color in it," White said. "So she says she hadn't used watercolors in the past or for a very long time, but she thinks that would work well with ink. I was just so impressed with her. She's coming in every other day, showing me the work, her progress. And I just thought 'wow.' We hadn't even done a watercolor unit yet."

Laakso said her main medium for her creative endeavors is graphite, but she's willing to try new things.

"I've never used watercolor before that," Laakso said of her piece for the competition. "I've used ink a couple of times. I think ink is really fun."

In developing the piece, Laakso said she tried to think of all the things that she grew up with.

"I grew up on a farm with a really big barn and I have a bunch of family who (have) been around barns, and I've always been around wilderness and stuff like that because I grew up in the country," Laakso said. "So, I just wanted to base it off of how I felt about Wisconsin and about everything that I thought had to do with Wisconsin."

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., has encouraged students to participate in the competition that started in 1982 since taking office in 2020.

"Every year, I am amazed by the talented young artists in the 7th District," Tiffany said. "Congratulations to those who placed in the top three, the honorable mentions, and a huge thank you to all 32 students who submitted pieces this year."

Tiffany said Laakso's artwork will be displayed for one year in the Cannon House Office Building Tunnel, a walkway that leads to the U.S. Capitol. In addition, Southwest Airlines offers each first-place winner two round-trip tickets to attend a reception in Washington D.C., he said.

Laakso said she was surprised when she learned she took first place in the competition.

"I've been drawing since I was really little," Laakso said. "I only recently really just started trying out bigger things like the Wisconsin congressional art competition."

White said she encouraged Laakso to compete because she has skill and talent.

"Aila is a dedicated art student, and she shows a real passion," White said. "She lives and breathes art."