A photograph taken by a Cape Elizabeth High School student has won the 2016 Congressional Art Competition for Maine’s 1st District and will be displayed as part of a national exhibit at the U.S. Capitol for one year.

JoJo Zeitlin, a junior at Cape High, took top honors with a black-and-white photo she shot in the midcoast town of Friendship during a youth workshop last summer with Maine Media Workshops and College in Rockport.

Titled “Brian,” the photo features a hunched and wistful-looking farmer with a grizzled gray beard. Standing in front of an old shingled shed and wire fencing, he’s wearing a dusty T-shirt, suspenders and a visored cap embroidered with the town’s name.

In announcing Zeitlin as the winner, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, praised the photo’s composition and Zeitlin’s advanced technical skill.

“As an islander, I love that the image is so distinctly rural, coastal Maine,” Pingree said in a news release. “I think it will really stand out and I’m proud that it will represent Maine’s 1st District when it is hung at the Capitol this June.”

Pingree said all the contestants from the 1st District entered exceptional work. The judges also recognized Anna Callahan, Brunswick High School, first runner-up; Abigail Stevens-Roberts, Thornton Academy, second runner-up; and Gabriel Rosen, Portland High School, Cailtyn Duffy, Gorham High School, and Katie Sprague, Kents Hill School, honorable mentions.

Advertisement

The Congressional Art Competition is held annually in participating districts across the country. One winning work from each district hangs in a special exhibit at the U.S. Capitol for a year. This year, a jury put together by the Maine Arts Commission and Maine College of Art selected Maine winners from the top finishers in the regional Scholastic Arts Competition.

First-place winners will travel to Washington, D.C., courtesy of private sponsors, for an opening ceremony in June. Winners and runners-up will be honored at a Blaine House reception in May and also will be offered scholarships from the Maine College of Art and the University of Maine.

Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:

kbouchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: KelleyBouchard


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.