Malofie Congressional Art Competition Winner from American Samoa Visits D.C.
Washington, D.C. –Friday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, and her fellow colleagues in the House of Representatives welcomed over 400 student artists to Washington, D.C. yesterday. The students are in Washington as part of the annual Congressional Art Competition. Mr. Benjamin (AJ) Liaga of Samoana High School won this year’s competition in American Samoa with his entry entitled Folauga.
(top) Congresswoman Amata with AJ and District Staffer Howard Howard at the breakfast reception honoring the winners
(below) AJ stands proudly next to his piece, where it will hang for the next year
“I could not be more proud of AJ, and look forward to seeing his piece on the wall, as I walk to the Capitol building,” said Amata. “The talent our young artists have is incredible and an inspiration for us all. AJ’s piece will be seen by tens of thousands of people over the next year, and each of those people will have gotten a small glimpse into the artistic talent of our beautiful home and people,” continued Amata.
This year celebrates the 34th Annual Congressional Art Competition - An Artistic Discovery. The nationwide art competition, which is voluntarily sponsored by Members of Congress, allows creative high school students to showcase their talents in Washington, D.C. The first place winners in each competition has their winning entry displayed at the U.S. Capitol for one year, and are eligible for scholarship opportunities from the Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD), one of the most highly acclaimed institutions of higher learning for the arts in the world. The winning artist is also invited to fly to Washington, D.C. for a national reception honoring the winning artists from all over the country.
“I would like to once again congratulate AJ, as well as the rest of this year’s participants in American Samoa. Choosing the winner must have been extremely difficult for our judges, as every piece in the competition was beautifully crafted. I want to encourage our young artists in American Samoa to already begin thinking about next year’s competition, as it poses a terrific opportunity for them, and helps hone their talents even further,” continued Amata. “Finally, I would like to thank all of the sponsors who helped make the event a huge success, and want to especially thank Hawaiian Airlines and their Station Manager in American Samoa, Mr. Tuli Fruean and Southwest Airlines for their generous donations, which helped get AJ to Washington for the ceremony honoring the winners from across the nation,” concluded Amata.
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