Pelosi Announces Congressional Arts Competition Winner from California’s 8th Congressional District

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced today that Claire Kowalewski Marsh is the winner of the 29th annual Congressional Arts Competition from California’s 8th Congressional district. Claire, a rising senior from San Francisco’s School of the Arts, won this year’s competition with an oil painting entitled "Blue Bottle."

"The beauty and diversity of all the artwork in this year's Congressional Arts Competition collection are a wonderful reflection of America," Pelosi said. "I congratulate Claire on her winning piece and am proud that the thousands of visitors who walk the halls of the Capitol each day will be able to view her exquisite painting."

Since 1982, the annual Congressional Art Competition has provided an opportunity for high school students across the United States to exhibit their creativity and compete for a chance to represent their Congressional district and exhibit their artwork in the Capitol. This year’s local competition was hosted by the San Francisco Unified School District during the annual Young at Art festival, displaying more than 2,000 pieces of art at the DeYoung Museum located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Claire grew up surrounded by the artwork of her grandmother and fellow painter, Joan Cobb Marsh. Joan joins Claire and her parents today in Washington where they will attend events organized for the competition winners and see Claire’s painting on display. In addition to her grandmother’s influence, Claire attributes her style and mastery of paint to her teachers at the San Francisco School of the Arts and San Francisco Art Academy Summer Program.

Marsh’s 20x28 inch painting will hang in the Cannon Tunnel for the next year. This tunnel joins the Cannon House Office Building to the United States Capitol, and gives visitors to the Capitol an opportunity to enjoy the exceptional artwork of young people from throughout the country.

Congresswoman Pelosi congratulates Claire Kowalewski Marsh for her winning painting, which will be seen by thousands of visitors who walk the halls of the Capitol each day.