The receptions for the 2012 Congressional Art Competition took place on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. The winners were divided into two groups, based on an alphabetical listing of the states; students from Alabama through Massachusetts attended a reception in the morning.

Competition Co-Chairs Representative Hansen Clarke (D-MI) and Representative Tim Griffin (R-AR) welcomed the students to the United States Capitol. Mark Strand, president of the Congressional Institute, emceed the program. Monica DelRio represented Southwest Airlines, which offers round-trip tickets to competition winners. Cecilia Marshall congratulated students on behalf of Savannah College of Art and Design, which provides a scholarship to each winner who enrolls there. Mitch Breitweiser, a Little Rock, Arkansas-based artist for Marvel Comics, offered insights from his experience and encouragement, followed by Q-and-A with his wife Elizabeth, also a comic book artist.

To return to the 2012 Congressional Art Competition main page, please click here.