Kimberly VanDyke, 15, will have artwork displayed in Washington, D.C.

GRAND RAPIDS - Beating out 39 other entries, Kimberly VanDyke's ceramic raku-style mask was announced Saturday as the winner of the 2003 Congressional Arts Competition for the Third Congressional District of Michigan.

      Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, presented the award to the 15-year-old sophomore in a ceremony held at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.

      Forty students from 17 different high schools in the Third Congressional District submitted entries, which were adjudicated by a committee representing the sponsors of the competition - the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Kendall College of Art and Design, the Kent Intermediate School District, Art Works, the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids.

      "The variety and quality of the art work submitted to this year's competition was commendable," Ehlers said.

      VanDyke's winning entry is titled, "Mask of My Mind" and is a ceramic face mask.

      "The mask was made through an ancient firing technique called raku," she explained in her entry. "By blowing on the mask, between the time it was taken from the kiln and put into a hay-filled bin, I created crackles in the glass. By allowing in a certain amount of air into the bin, I created the unique colors used in my mask."

      In June, VanDyke and a companion will be flown to Washington to participate in the opening of the 2003 Congressional Arts Competition exhibit, where more than 200 pieces of student art from around the country will be on display in a corridor that connects the U.S. Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building. The travel is provided courtesy Travel by Gagnon travel agency of Grand Rapids and Midwest Airlines.

      Five other pieces of art were also recognized by the committee:

·         The Grand Rapids Art Museum Award: Jennifer VanderPloeg, 15, a freshman at South Christian High School. Jennifer's digital photo and latex painting is titled "Colors of Life." 

·         The KISD Award: Amy Brown for her untitled black and white acrylic on canvas. Amy, 18, is a senior at Forest Hills Central High School. 

·         The Kendall College of Art & Design Award: Nicholas DeVries, for his black and white photograph titled, "Verna's Tree." Nick, 18, is a senior at Rockford High School. 

·         The Art Works Award: Alysha Lach, for her oil pastel titled, "Memory Box." Alysha, 15, is a sophomore at Kelloggsville High School.

·         The Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids Award: Elizabeth Hazle, for her watercolor portrait titled, "Daughter of the Revolution." Elizabeth, 17, is a junior attending an independent art school at the Visual Arts Center of West Michigan.