Three North Shore students were named winners of the Congressional Art Competition hosted by U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove).
Manhasset High School student Kyra McLaughlin was awarded first prize for her oil on wood painting “Ticky-tac?” and described her work as “a crying boy sitting next to his Grandpa who, in his thick Italian accent, is offering him a ‘ticky-tac’ to cheer him up. The boy, who loves these treats, reluctantly accepts. My grandpa always carried tic-tacs around with him, and often used them to brighten our spirits.”
McLaughlin’s work will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol, along with other winners from across the country, for one year.
“Artists play an important role in society, and it turns out we have some pretty talented young artists right here in our district,” Suozzi said. “All of the parents and teachers should take pride in themselves for supporting the artists in their lives.”
The event took place at the Art League of Long Island in Dix Hills. Student participants, their parents, teachers and school administrators attended, and 39 students from 16 schools across the district entered the competition.
Two North Shore students were awarded honorable mention — Great Neck North High School student Sarah Tang and Manhasset High School student Isabelle Lin.
Lin won for her acrylic painting, “Who I Am / Who Am I?” and described her work as “a painted relief of my face and lively eyes placed over an American flag and a Taiwanese flag, the colors of the flag drip down onto my face, representing personal identities.”
Lin’s work will be displayed for one year in Suozzi’s Queens district office.
Lin was also honored for the same piece at the “Long Island’s Best: Young Artists” exhibit at the Heckscher Museum of Art, where she placed second among 80 student artists.
Tang, a junior, won for her acrylic painting “Sunset in G-String.”
She described her work as “a sunset sweeping over the music room at school – pink, blue, and warm yellow hues modify the natural colors of each surface.”
Tang, who also plays the flute in the school’s orchestra, said she was inspired by the music room during an art class assignment to take a room in the school and create a color scheme to make the painting more expressive.
“I chose the music room because I thought there was something really beautiful about how messy and energized it was,” Tang said. “I was really inspired by my school’s after school orchestra program, which sometimes runs late, and I’ve noticed the sun always sets really nicely in the music room, and that was the inspiration for my color scheme.”
Tang said she wanted to thank her music teacher, Joseph Rutkowski, and her art teacher, Joseph Giacalone, for their help in both subjects throughout her high school career.
Her work will be displayed in Suozzi’s district office in Huntington.
