Rep. Jared Huffman Applauds 2024 Congressional Art Competition Winner

June 28, 2024

Washington, D.C. – This week, Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) welcomed the winner of the 2024 Congressional Art Competition for California’s Second District, Tiah Ross-Butner from Ukiah High School in Mendocino, to the United States Capitol to celebrate her accomplishment. Ross-Butner's piece, titled “Where We Come From - Klamath River”, will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year along with other art pieces from each congressional district across the country.

“Tiah’s artwork is a powerful representation of some of the most treasured natural and cultural parts of our district,” Rep. Huffman said. “It was a pleasure to see Tiah in the Capitol for this celebration; I’m tremendously proud of her work and the many other talented young artists who participated in this year’s competition.”

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Artist’s Description: There is a hand sized abalone shell in the top middle half of the painting, with water flowing from it down the canvas into the Klamath River full of salmon. Next to the river on the left-hand side there is a Grizzly bear eating a salmon, and I chose a grizzly bear because this year is their 100-year anniversary of being extinct in California. Behind the abalone shell going horizontal across the canvas there is a black, Yurok native American basket design called the Sturgeon Back, which I added to honor my great grandmother and my Yurok heritage.

Finalists:

Honorable Mentions:

Ross-Butner received round-trip airfare to Washington D.C. to attend the awards ceremony. Other finalists will receive a certificate of recognition for their entries. The competition has been held by the United States Congress every year since 1982 with more than 650,000 high school students participating in the contest since it first began.