BEVERLY — Lynnfield High School senior Emma Condon took home the grand prize at the 28th annual 6th Essex District Congressional High School Art Show held Saturday at the Montserrat College of Art Gallery in Beverly.
Her submission, a self-portrait entitled “Superposition,” beat out 107 other students from 21 North Shore-area schools located in the 6th District.
“I am proud of all of you, no matter who takes first prize; this is really an impressive achievement and you should all take pride in that,” U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said. “The freedom to express ourselves through artwork is not something that is shared by all people around the globe. It’s something worth fighting for and certainly worth celebrating today.”
Condon said her AP portfolio theme is dreams and that she has been on various medications to combat insomnia and anxiety for several years. Her piece, created with colored pencils, is based in large part on her own vivid dreams experienced as a result of those medications. The powerful piece shows Condon covered with bandages ― both adult and children’s ― with an assortment of pills cascading downward alongside the image.
“A lot of those medications caused the weird dreams I have had,” Condon said. “My piece is inspired by my experience with the trial and error of medication. During those times I have always felt split, like I was constantly in two places at once. The title is a concept in which one particle can exist in different locations simultaneously.”
Condon said she has learned to channel her dreams into inspiration for her art.
“While I have learned over the years to accept my insomnia, when I do sleep, my dreams feel real and vivid enough for me to remember every detail in the morning,” she added.
Condon said she was a little hesitant to submit such a powerful piece, one that exposed some of the challenges she has faced “because of the stigma.
“I’m so glad I did, to put it out there in the open. I’m glad I shared it, for obvious reasons,” she said.
Also recognized in the competition were Lynnfield High students Samantha Bunar with a Best of School award for “Asphyxiation,” while Allison Orlofski (“Thought Spiral”), Michael O’Brien (“Effects of an Injury”), Lauren Lim (“Naiveté”) and Riley Hallahan (“Lost Innocence”) all received Honorable Mention recognitions.
Several other local students were recognized. Winning Best of School Awards were Amy Matul Toc of Lynn Classical High School, for “Hidden Home,” Fadilat Amisu of Lynn English High School, for “Self Portraits,” and Dante Chhim of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, for “Tree of Souls.”
Winning Honorable Mention awards were Classical’s Katina Hunter for “Being Watched,” Kayda Vo for “Distraught” and Nancy Rodriquez-Morales for “Sisters at Home;” English’s Lidia Robles for “Heaven is in the Mind,” Andie Bonilla for “Star” and Bradley Nicosia for “The Intersection;” Marblehead High School’s Saylor Caruso for “For the Gold,” Elizabeth Erskine for “Lights Up,” and Madeleine Antunes for “Spotlight” and Peabody High’s Anthony Zuppio for “Untitled” and Isabella Rizzo Abreus for “Nature in its Simplicity.”
All contest winners received citations from Moulton and scholarships in varying amounts toward tuition at Montserrat’s summer pre-college program.
Condon’s artwork will be displayed in Washington, D.C. in the Capitol building for one year, along with winning art for other Congressional districts across the United States. A ceremony honoring the winners will be held in June, which Moulton said is one of his favorite times of the year.
“I always enjoy spotting the winning artwork from my district and I look forward to spotting this year’s winning piece in the Capitol once again this summer,” he said.
Condon will be attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in the fall, studying art. When she learned she had been accepted, she was so happy she cried. The crying continued into the next day when she learned she had won the Congressional Art Show grand prize.
“It was the best 48 hours ever of my life,” Condon said. “When I found out I got into RISD, all I could do was cry. I was so happy. And then I got the message that I had won the grand prize. I was alone in my room and I immediately ran downstairs to tell my mom. I looked totally distraught and was crying so hard that my mother (Colleen) thought something was really wrong. I tried to tell her about it but couldn’t get the words out, so I showed her my phone and she got all excited, obviously.”
Condon said she hadn’t really considered RISD until her AP teacher, Laura Johnson, suggested she apply.
“We are so proud of her as she has worked so hard in our art program,” Johnson said. “It’s been exciting to see her growth and development over the past four years.”
