National Student Art Competition - Grades 9-12
Winner & Finalists
Grades 9-12 Winners
Gallery
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First Place
Holding Up the United States
“I wanted to portray the White House as a giant overarching monumental building throughout the image and how the people of America are responsible for holding it in place as well as raising it up. This artwork demonstrates all the different races and hands that built and rose up America, impacting the America we know today.”
Seoyoung from Texas -
Second Place
Vision and Rebirth
"This piece reflects the drafting work of the architect James Hoban on the original White House, and his relationship with President George Washington, who commissioned the building. I was fascinated by the pathos of the destruction of his vision (burned in the War of 1812) and the redemption involved in his chance to rebuild it.”
Bill from Texas -
Third Place
The White House Conservatory: A Microcosm of Civil War America
“My drawing focuses on the White House Conservatory-an important and often forgotten part of White House history. Harriet Lane urged building the conservatory (drawn in 1857 form), so she is the heart of the piece. Each corner shows the Conservatory and its flowers as the American Story of Civil War with hostility between friends under Buchanan, wounded needing comfort under Lincoln, the country rebuilding under Grant (Grant’s daughter Nellie married in East Room with flowers from greenhouse) and the nation's return to 'normal' under Hayes.”
Brianna from Ohio
Grades 9-12 Finalists
Gallery
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We The People Built America
“My painting represents how everybody built our beautiful America. I painted the White House in all different handprints to show how We the People Built America. Our White House is our American Story.”
Madeline from Virginia -
A Splash of Color in The Rose Garden
“This painting was inspired by a photograph found on the White House Historical Association's website. It depicts the Rose Garden in 1982. The garden has gone through many changes and was designed as a rose garden in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy and his administration. The goal was to expand it so that larger events could be held within it. The Kennedy’s Rose Garden has become one of the most iconic settings around the White House and has hosted many historical ceremonies and events.”
Emily from Kentucky -
U.S. Marine Band Concert from on High, 1921
“This painting depicts a U.S. Marine Band Saturday afternoon summertime concert on the White House South Lawn. The Marine Band performs on the White House steps and the audience watches the concert from the South Lawn. However, this painting shows the concert from a new angle. The eagle represents American patriotism and unity among the American people.”
Lauren from New Jersey -
This is My America
“For this piece, I took inspiration from a photograph I saw of President Barack Obama underneath George Washington's portrait. It is a powerful representation of how far the United States has come—from a slaveholder as its first leader, to the first African American POTUS. It evokes a sense of pride and hope for our country.”
Samantha from North Carolina -
Contemplating the Worst
“This piece shows Kennedy in a moment of prayer at St. John’s Episcopal Church during the Cuban Missile Crisis, imagining the worst-case scenario for the world and meditating on how to prevent it. While it’s uncertain if this particular scene ever took place, it certainly could have—every U.S. President has worshipped in this church at least once.”
Jennifer from New York
