WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawmakers are preparing to celebrate the arts with the annual Congressional Art Competition. The works of student artists across the nation, including eight from Wisconsin, will be displayed inside the halls of Congress for a year.

Ryannah Glassen, a senior at Union Grove High School, was one of this year’s winners.

“My teacher at Union Grove thought I should enter the contest, and I decided to enter it because I thought it would be a cool thing,” Glassen said. “I was kind of surprised, but also I knew I was one of the top three finalists, so I thought maybe I had a chance.”

Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, picked Glassen’s self-portrait to represent his district this year. Glassen said she’s proud of the win because it was her first time working with conte crayons.

“I did the self-portrait for a class last year,” she said. “And so I chose that photo because I thought the angle was challenging.”

Glassen said she loves to share her passion for the arts. She and other students from Union Grove helped paint a mural in the hallway of the neighboring Yorkville Elementary School.

“I just hope that people will take away the feeling of community from it,” she said. “Because it’s something that a bunch of little kids are doing together, even if they’re not super good at art. It’s just a learning experience.”

Since 1982, artwork from more than 650,000 students has lined the hallway of the Cannon House of Representatives office building. Rep. Gwen Moore chose Keelin Meaney’s piece, made with marker, watercolor and ink, this year to represent her district.

“It’s exciting,” the senior at Whitefish Bay High School said. “And also, like, the slightest bit scary because I don’t know who’s going to see it, but it’s also like there’s going to be people who I don’t know who are going to see it, and there’s going to be people who are going to like it and it’s going to be there for a whole year.”

This honor is all the more sweeter for Meaney, who’s normally guarded about her art. She based her self-portrait on a random photo she took of herself while in a car. For the next year, it’ll be a symbol of self-expression and seen by many.

“I want to be able to make someone feel understood in a way that I felt understood by art,” Meaney said. “The arts are a great way to allow people to feel heard and understood and a way that they maybe haven’t before.”

Both students have been invited to Washington, D.C. in June to see their work in person.