Congressman Blumenauer Will Hold Arts Competition for Students

For the third consecutive year, Congressman Earl Blumenauer is holding an art competition for high school students in Oregon's Third Congressional District. The winning piece of art will be placed in Congressman Blumenauer’s Washington, D.C. office.

Congressman Blumenauer is holding the OR-03 Arts Competition rather than participating in the Congressional Art Competition.

During the traditional Congressional Art Competition, high school students submit artwork to their Congressional representative and one piece of art from each district is selected and showcased in the Capitol alongside artwork from Congressional districts.

Congressman Blumenauer instituted his own OR-03 Arts Competition after the controversial 2017 Congressional Art Competition. In 2017, members of the House removed a student’s artwork depicting a conflict between law enforcement and the African American community in Ferguson, Missouri following the shooting of Michael Brown.

Republican leadership had the painting removed, citing a rule that artwork in the Capitol cannot “depict contemporary political controversy, or of a sensationalistic or gruesome nature.”

“Artistic expression is critical to a healthy and vibrant democracy. In good conscience, I cannot be part of a contest that restricts the expression of young artists and their first amendment rights,” said Blumenauer. “We must defend the arts – which I believe are now under attack by the President as he seeks to slash cherished programs like the National Endowment of the Arts.  We can’t let artists lose their voices. The minute we let censorship take hold, the closer we get to an authoritarian regime.”

In this photo, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (right) stands next to Patipon Ketmanee (left), the winner of the 2017 art competition. (Photo Credit: Representative Earl Blumenauer)Student submissions should be submitted by Wednesday, May 1, at 5:00 p.m. at Representative Earl Blumenauer's office located at 911 NE 11th Ave. Suite 200, Portland, Oregon. Individuals submitting artwork for consideration will need to call (503) 231-2300 and a member of the staff will come down to accept the piece.