Tucson, AZ- Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva announced that Amanda Cabrera, a Desert View High School student, is the winner of the 2009 Congressional Art Competition: An Artistic Discovery.

The artwork, Esperanza Rodriquez, was chosen to represent Arizona Congressional District 7 in the halls of Congress.

Amanda will fly to Washington, D.C. to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony in the Cannon Tunnel on Wednesday, June 24th.

The piece is a conté crayon recreation of the only remaining photo of Amanda’s grandmother. The artwork was an assignment for El Dia de los Muertos, in which students explored effective and creative ways for dealing with grief and providing condolences to loved ones.

“This is a great opportunity for Amanda and her family to show the nation the talent that exists among our students,” said Grijalva. “This piece represents the diverse definition of what it means to be American by allowing Amanda’s portrait of her Grandmother to tell a story rich in heritage and culture. And as an avid supporter of our artistic community, I cannot stress the importance of encouraging students to participate in artistic forms of expression”.

Esperanza Rodriquez will hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for one year. The other entries received for the competition will be displayed in Congressman Grijalva’s Tucson and Yuma District offices during the summer season.

The Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by the Congressional Art Caucus and coordinated by members of the United States House of Representatives. Since the competition was created in 1982, hundreds of thousands of high school students have participated.