McDermott, and Linnea Sallberg of Southwest Airlines congratulate Joanna Vong (center) on winning the annual Congressional High School Art Competition. Her painting, "Tree of Life" will
be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building.

Garfield High School Senior Wins 7th
Congressional District Art Competition
For Immediate Release - May 4, 2005

(Seattle, WA) Joanna Vong, a senior at Garfield High School, who submitted her first ever painting to the annual Congressional High School Art Competition, was chosen by judges to represent the 7th Congressional District in Washington, D.C.

Representative Jim McDermott (D-07) was on hand recently when judges Debbi Lester, founder and publisher of "Art Access" magazine, and Ogbonna Mills, Designer for the Store Development Group at Starbucks and an entrepreneur, selected Vong's painting, entitled "Tree of Life."

Now in its 24th year, "An Artistic Discovery" is coordinated by Members of Congress and involves thousands of schools and hundreds of thousands of high school students across the country. Congressman McDermott has hosted a competition in the 7th Congressional District annually since he was first elected to Congress.

"I always marvel at the extraordinary level of talent by the young people who participate in this competition," McDermott said. "I can't wait for the day in June when we unveil Joanna's "Tree of Life" on Capitol Hill. People will be simply amazed that this is the artist's first ever work!"

Joanna Vong's artwork came as a result of her involvement in One World Now, a local non profit cultural organization which hosted an artist from Ghana who inspired Joanna to try painting for the first time.

The winning piece of art from each participating congressional district is placed on display in the Cannon Tunnel that links House office buildings directly to the Capitol. The display, seen by thousands of visitors to the Capitol, is part of the national exhibition.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C. on June 14th and Vong is expected to attend. For her winning entry, Vong was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to the Art Institute of Seattle, a one year membership to the Seattle Art Museum, and three roundtrip tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines.