Jonesboro- Congressman Rick Crawford announced the winners of the 2024 Congressional Art Competition. Each year Crawford holds a student art competition across the district for grades 9-12. The student chosen as the overall winner has their artwork displayed in Washington D.C. for a year alongside all the other winners across the country.
This year, Amara Miles was chosen the Best in Show of this year’s competition. She is a rising sophomore at Highland High School under the art instruction of Anna Barnes. Her parents are Matthew and Katie Miles.
Ms. Miles’ winning artwork entitled “Flowers for you” is a mixed media piece that displays a hand presenting a bouquet of flowers made of music. “The hand is reaching through a hedge, that acts as a wall, to propose a gift,” said Miles. “The bouquet is made of music, flowers, and other forms of beauty, reminding us that art can unite others through hard times.” Her artwork will be displayed in the Cannon Hall in Washington D.C., for a year with the other congressional district winners. She will also receive two Southwest Airlines’ vouchers to attend the Congressional Art reception this summer hosted in Washington, D.C.
This year’s judges, Jayson Mirafuentes of Jonesboro and Amanda Cook of West Memphis, reviewed over 200 artwork submissions representing 25 schools across the First Congressional district. The Congressional Art Competition is divided into seven medium categories and the first-place winners of each category, chosen by the judges, were recognized by Crawford at a reception at his district office in Jonesboro. The first-place winners of each medium category, the Best in Show, and the People’s Choice winner are currently on display at the Jonesboro Municipal Building.
The other first-place category winners include the following mediums: Collage, Selbi Muradova, Walnut Ridge High School; Digital, Hannah Gebhard, Cabot High School; Drawing, Harmony Buck, Norfork High School; Painting, Calista Robins, Walnut Ridge High School; Photography, Rylan Mutchler, Norfork High School; Print, Jovee Webster, Norfork High School; People’s Choice, Amelia Ricks, Trumann High School.
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors the Congressional Art Competition, a nationwide high school visual arts competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent across our nation. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 750,000 high school students have participated. This is the 13thyear for Congressman Crawford to participate in this Competition.
Ms. Amara Miles, rising sophomore from Highland High School, was awarded “Best in Show” in Congressman Rick Crawford’s 2024 Congressional Art Competition. Pictured left to right are Anna Barnes, instructor; Amara Miles (mixed media); and Congressman Rick Crawford. The competition received over 200 entries from 25 schools in Arkansas’ First District.
(Jonesboro) Congressman Rick Crawford hosted a reception for the first-place winners of his Congressional Art Competition. The winners’ artwork will be on display at the Jonesboro Municipal Center during the month of June. Category winners are from left to right: Digital, Hannah Gebhard, Cabot High School; Drawing, Harmony Buck Norfork High School; People’s Choice, Amelia Ricks, Trumann High School; Collage, Selbi Muradova, Walnut Ridge High School; Painting, Calista Robins, Walnut Ridge High School; Best in Show, Collage, Amara Miles, Highland High School; Print, Jovee Webster, Norfork High School; Photography, Rylan Mutchler, Norfork High School.