Hewlett High School Junior Wins Second Place in Congressional Art Competition

The Gallery at ’s Ruth S. Harley University Center was filled with interesting characters on May 25.

Malcolm X was  at the reception and so was Naomi Cho — in two dimensions. 

“Malcolm X” quietly studied gallery-goers as they arrived at the show. Dakota Foca, an eleventh grader from Oceanside High School used pencil, his favorite medium, to draw an uncanny likeness of the advocate for African-American rights.

Cho drew the delightful “Self-Portrait” in charcoal. She’s a junior from . She won second place with a $3,000 Adelphi scholarship.

Every year since 1998, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy hosts “An Artistic Discovery” show as part of the congressional art competition. Only three entrants per school in McCarthy’s 15 school districts are allowed to participate, so only the best of high school artists are displayed each May at Adelphi.

Garden City was represented with the work of  students Kylie Mara, Tiffany Liang and Jia Stella Kelleher. At , the three artists were Elena Su, Danielle Herscho and Sophia Trikas.

Mara, a sophomore, entered the oil, “Bloom What You Planted.” Liang, also a tenth grader, submitted the acrylic, “The World Behind My Wall” with a self-portrait in the middle while Kelleher, a junior, sent in “Belle’s Colors,” a pastel.

Mara combined two reference photos to create her painting. She said, ”I love being in the show. There are lots of good pieces.”

Su, a junior at Waldorf School, entered “Paper Spiral,” which is reminiscent of Edward Ruscha, while Herscho, a Waldorf senior, painted an acrylic on paper entitled “Solo in Red.” Trikas, a sophomore at Waldorf, drew “Butterfly” in pastel.

Richard Vaux, former director of exhibitions, congratulated everyone on the show “being one of the best."

"Adelphi is a thriving university with a thriving art department.," he said. "We are selective in who comes here. We see 200 portfolios a year and only pick 45. It is an exceptional art program on Long Island.” He also acknowledged the art teachers and parents who contributed to the artists’ endeavors.

Shane Swords, a junior from Valley Stream South High School, won the grand prize — a $7,000 art scholarship to Adelphi — with “Check Me Out,” a unique digital collage, although his favorite medium is drawing. His work will travel to Washington, D.C., where it will remain on view in Congress for a year with grand prize winning pieces from other districts.

Alexa Pattek, a junior from H. Frank Carey High School, won the first place Award of Merit for “Blinded By Greed,” an excellent graphite drawing inspired by a class project with art teacher Gina Curiale on one of the seven deadly sins. 

Second Award of Merit winner Emily DiDominica, a senior from Oceanside High School, won with her Photoshopped digital photo entitled “Behind Closed Doors.” She won a $5,000 scholarship, which will come in handy as she starts at Adelphi this fall.

Other $3,000 Award of Achievement prize winners were: Taylor Fillipi, a sophomore at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, for “Hey!” and Casey Gioe, a junior at East Rockaway High School in East Rockaway, for “Portrait of Marcelo.”

“Overall, the annual event is a great venue for the students to display their artwork," said Loreen McMahon, an art teacher at Garden City High School and a former student of Vaux. "It is sized so that it isn't too overwhelming. It is more personal with the students able to meet the college administrators, as well as Congresswoman McCarthy's representative. Professor Vaux is a celebrated artist in his own right and much loved professor at Adelphi University.”

For more information, visit www.CarolynMcCarthy.house.gov or www.Adelphi.edu.