A Toledo School of the Arts student’s artwork, created from a photo of herself, will soon grace the halls of the U.S. Capitol.
Liz Maniak, 17, was the overall winner of 2015 Congressional Art Competition for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. She won for her graphite drawing, “Self Portrait.”
It will hang for one year with other district winners in a wing of the U.S. Capitol that leads to congressional offices. She and her mother will fly to Washington this summer for a dedication ceremony. A six-judge panel, made up of local artists and art professors, chose Liz’s work from among 49 applicants representing the 9th congressional district.
The winning piece was a project in art teacher Lydia Horvath’s class.
The teacher asked students to take a photo of themselves and recreate it in graphite to better execute observational drawing. It’s an exercise in a “really, really slow selfie,” Ms. Horvath said with a laugh.
“Humans are interesting, and they’re hard to draw,” said Liz, who is a senior. “But once you do draw them in a way that you’re happy with, it’s really satisfying.”
Ms. Horvath is no stranger to the congressional contest. Her work was named a runner-up when she was student at Bowsher High School in the late 1980s. It’s also the second consecutive year that one of Ms. Horvath’s students took the top prize; Emily Avaritt won last year for her graphite drawing of the same class project.
Ms. Horvath said she’s had Liz in class on and off since sixth grade and has seen her growth.
“It makes me feel good that my students are going even higher than I did,” she said. “That’s pretty cool for me.”
The winners were announced by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) on Sunday at Fifth Third Center at One SeaGate.
Attending were Liz, along with her parents, Barb and Steven Maniak, as well as her grandfather and uncle. Her mom, who Liz describes as “a hard core artist,” immediately understood the importance of the honor.
“She was almost in tears,” Liz said of her mother. “Ever since I was a kid, she’s been my biggest supporter of me being an artist.”
The win is still sinking in, she said.
“I really did not see it coming. I’m still just floored by it,” she said. “I’m just really grateful for my teachers, especially Ms. Horvath for entering my piece and making me a better artist.”
Ninth Congressional runners-up Bari Resnick of Maumee Valley Country Day School and Raykisha Pettis of Rogers High School will have their work displayed in Miss Kaptur’s office this year. She praised Liz’s work.
“The student artwork we received this year showed great skill and creativity from many young artists throughout the region, and I commend each of our participants for their creativity and initiative,” Miss Kaptur said in a prepared statement. “Liz’s work stood out even among the many compelling and award-winning pieces we reviewed and I look forward to visiting it at its home in the Capitol during the next year.”
The Congressional Art Competition was established in 1982 and is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. All works will be on display beginning March 2 at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea. The exhibit runs through March 27.
Contact Lauren Lindstrom at llindstrom@theblade.com, 419-724-6154, or on Twitter @lelindstrom.
First Published February 26, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
