Home » Santa Clarita News » Arts and Entertainment » Rep. Whitesides Announces CA-27 Winners Of 2026 Congressional Art Competition
congressional art competition 060426
Whitesides' Office

Rep. Whitesides Announces CA-27 Winners Of 2026 Congressional Art Competition

Wednesday, Representative George Whitesides, CA-27, announced the winners of this year’s Congressional Art Competition, themed “The Future I Want to See.”

The following students were selected for their exceptional work:
 
  • 1st Place: “Shared Skies” drawn by Fiona Currie, a homeschooled 12th grader in Palmdale, with colored pencils.
  • 2nd Place: “Seen Before it Exists” mixed media produced by Esha Mandadapu, a 9th grader at Academy of the Canyons.
  • 3rd Place: “Where Nature Thrives” photography produced by Brady Wan, an 11th grade student at West Ranch High School.
  • 4th Place: “Our Olive Branch” painted by Joanne Kim, an 11th grade student at West Ranch High School.
The first place winner, Fiona, described her work: “It depicts a B-1B Lancer aircraft soaring through the skies of the Antelope Valley as a pair of native common ravens look on. The scene also includes another local native, the joshua tree, amid a carpet of flowering desert scrub brush commonly found here in the spring. The color scheme of the ravens consists of fiery reds and oranges for one, and tranquil blues and greens for the other. This choice of colors represents the cycle of summer wildfires that ravage the hillsides, contrasting with the essential waters from rain and snow-melt that allow new plant-life to flourish from the barren earth once more.”
The top four pieces will be proudly displayed in various locations representing the community. The first place winner’s artwork will be exhibited in the U.S. Capitol, while the second place entry will be displayed in Congressman Whitesides’ D.C. office. The 3rd and 4th place winners will have their works shown in the Congressman’s two district offices.
The panel of judges for this year’s competition came from all across the district, and represented a variety of artistic backgrounds, including:
 
  • Donna Weil – Lakes and Valleys Art Gallery
  • Cynthia Alvarado – Museum Curator for City of Lancaster
  • Christine Mugnolo – Antelope Valley College
  • Antoinette De Paiva – Artuity Studio
  • Paula Bradely – The Acton Agua Dulce Arts Association
  • Lauren Chomuk- Drawn2Art Valencia
  • Evelyn Rivas – Antelope Valley Union High School District
  • Merissa Naftulin – Santa Clarita Artists Association
  • Naomi Young – Santa Clarita Artists Association
  • Kerry Summers – Castaic Union School District
  • Catherine Wang – CalArts
  • Roscoe Hayden – CalArts
  • Lisa de Souza – Santa Clarita International Film Festival


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to [email protected]. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email [email protected]

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220

Rep. Whitesides Announces CA-27 Winners Of 2026 Congressional Art Competition

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About KHTS News Release

As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, along with your favorite adult contemporary hits by artists such as Rob Thomas, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Maroon 5. We are vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community. Our broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. We stream our talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience.