By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

LOCAL entries for the 2007 Congressional Art Competition are on display at the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency, or CAHA, Gallery at Two Lovers’ Point through April 27, 2007.
Five renowned local artists will judge the 16 art pieces from seven public and private high schools, the office of Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo announced.
The winner will be announced at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 30, at the CAHA Gallery.
Bordallo, who is co-chairing the competition with Congressman Luis Fortuño from Puerto Rico, said the annual Congressional Art Competition showcases the talent and creativity of the island’s most gifted high school artists.
“The judges will have a difficult job because the pieces on display are very good. I look forward to seeing the winning artwork displayed in our nation’s capitol,” Bordallo said.
The annual competition —titled “An Artistic Discovery” — is held in every Congressional district in every state and territory in the nation.
The winning art piece from Guam will be displayed in the Capitol tunnel for an entire year alongside nearly 400 winning pieces from other districts. These art pieces are seen and appreciated by hundreds of thousands of tourists during that time.
The winning artist will be flown to Washington, D.C. in June to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and to meet the winners from the other congressional districts.
Bordallo is the first Guam delegate to co-chair the annual national exhibit. She and her predecessors have been enthusiastic supporters of the local competition, the winner of which receives the opportunity to attend the banquet honoring nationwide contest winners and the opening of the exhibit in the nation’s capitol.
Last year’s Guam contest winner was Jeffery Ejan of John F. Kennedy High School. His painting represented Guam in the 2006 display.
The annual competition was established in 1982 by former congressman and U.S. senator James M. Jeffords of Vermont, who retired last year, and former congressman Frederick W. Richmond of New York.
The competition aims to support and encourage the visual arts, as well as to showcase the talents of the nation’s young people. The competition is open only to high school students.