PHOTO RELEASE: Kuster Announces Winner of 2022 Congressional Art Competition

Press Release

Yesterday, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) announced that Liana Ye, a junior at Windham High School, is the winner of the 2022 Congressional Art Competition for New Hampshire's Second District. Ye's submission, Bride To Be, is a graphite drawing inspired by her mother. Yesterday evening, Kuster hosted a reception at the Kimball Jenkins Estate to honor all of the students who submitted their work for the competition. The winning piece was selected by an independent panel of judges.

"I want to congratulate Liana on winning this year's Congressional Art Competition for New Hampshire's Second District with her stunning work," said Rep. Kuster. "As a long-time supporter of the arts, I was proud to host all of this year's student artists and celebrate their creativity and talent. Congratulations again to all of the Granite Staters who submitted their work, and I look forward to admiring Liana's drawing in the Capitol."

"Bride To Be was inspired by my beautiful mother," said Liana Ye, a junior at Windham High School. "I was going through old photographs and I stumbled across a photo of her in a traditional Chinese wedding ensemble and was struck by how beautiful she looked. The photo was worn and had several stains scattered across the surface. I brought the photo to her and asked her the story behind the photoshoot. She told me when she went to China with my father to celebrate their marriage, my Grandmother proposed to have a photoshoot to celebrate the union. They decided on a traditional ancient dynasty wedding dress and robe, creating many beautiful photos and memories they cherish today."

Ye continued, "The photoshoot was an homage to my father's culture and the new life they would live together. My mother was from Russia, and my father was from China and their marriage represented the merge of their two different worlds. I was compelled by their story and wanted to commemorate the old photograph through a drawing. With the guidance of my studio art teacher, Sally Grigas, I was able to create the piece of art you see today. A reminder of my parent's beautiful love story."

You can view all of the submissions for the 2022 Congressional Art Competition HERE. A full-resolution version of this year's winner is available HERE.

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