NH student artists named winners of Congressional Art Competition
Jun. 16—Two New Hampshire high school artists were named winners of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition and their works will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol.
Matthew Jolin of Ashland, a Plymouth Regional High School student, was recognized for his digital illustration titled "Adulations of Aberrant Green."
"As a person that struggles quite a lot with general communication and making connections with people, I like to put my thoughts, feelings, and struggles into art," Jolin said in a news release issued by Rep. Annie Kuster.
"This piece is nothing short of an errant expedition, motivated solely by my own penchant for nature — in this particular case: barn owls. Each owl seen in this piece is meant to represent a certain individual in my life, and the colors and patterns are meant to contribute symbolically to said, individual. The depths of meaning in this piece are nothing that I could explicate in the brevity of a summary, so I leave it up to the viewer's imagination to discern my intentions."
More than 20 pieces of art were submitted for the Second Congressional District Art Competition, Kuster said. This year's winner was chosen by a panel of judges from New England College.
"Thank you to all of the students who submitted their original and creative artwork, and I look forward to admiring Matthew's piece in the Capitol," Kuster said.
The First Congressional District winner is Dover High student Annie DiNardo and her work "Speak Up."
"This piece started when I saw my reflection in a bowl while I was putting dishes away. After I saw that I knew I had to paint something from that perspective," DiNardo said in a news release issued by Rep. Chris Pappas. "When I started it, I had no plan or message I want to say with it. As this figure came to life on the page, I just let my thought wander and I ended up creating her whole life in my head.
"This painting depicts a young woman who is tired of the racially unjust system of America. She is radiating anger for her community and believes that her generation will make changes to this system for a better future. She shouts 'Speak Up!' to inspire people to hold on to a fight for their lives."
The competition, which Pappas said had a record number of entries, was judged by a panel of artists and art educators from across the district. A reception was recently held at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester.
"These high school artists are incredibly talented and I want to commend all of them for sharing their artwork in this year's competition," Pappas said.
