Anne Arundel Today

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) announced the winner of the 2023 Congressional Art Competition for Maryland’s Fifth District. Ryan Hatch, a sophomore at Leonardtown High School, will have his artwork displayed in the Capitol building for one year along with other winning submissions from districts across the country. 

Ryan Hatch's winning piece, "Smiles on Me"

“I am honored to present Ryan Hatch’s piece ‘Smiles on Me’ as the 2023 Congressional Art Competition winner for Maryland’s Fifth District,” said Congressman Hoyer. “I am always impressed by the talent and skill of young people in our district. I look forward to ‘Smiles on Me’ being displayed in the Capitol for visitors and leaders alike to admire and enjoy.”

“The name was inspired by music artist Frank Ocean. A lot of my time spent on this piece was working on how I could incorporate different pieces of my life and putting it into the artwork represented as metaphorical visuals,” said Ryan Hatch. “As I began working on the piece, I only wanted to ‘distort’ one smile and leave the rest as unaffected. But as I began incorporating these personal metaphors, I realized I was adding more and more of them. As to balance the composition and make it more pleasing to the eye. I think that’s the moral of this piece if I had to give it one. Life is about the growth and change and not the final destination. We all have different perspective. And life is perspective. Because to me that’s what life is all about. Change and perspective. And I hope this work can represent that. Because at the end of the day, were all dealing with our own metaphors.”

Ryan Hatch lives in California, Maryland. His artwork titled “Smiles on Me” was created using mechanical and colored pencils, white Posca pen, black and white acrylic paint, black alcohol marker, and black and red ballpoint pen. 

The Congressional Art Competition provides Members of Congress with the opportunity to showcase the artistic talent of high school students in their districts. Since 1982, the competition has involved hundreds of thousands of students, and the winners have had their pieces hung in the Capitol complex for a year to be seen by the many visitors who come to the Capitol and by Members of Congress every day. Each year, Congressman Hoyer sends letters to all the high schools in the Fifth District announcing the Congressional Fifth District High School Arts Competition. After all entries have been submitted, a panel of local judges from the education and business communities determine the winner. 

Original source can be found here.