Representative Dave Min Announces Congressional Art Competition Winner

Irvine, CA - Representative Dave Min (CA-47) announced Portola High School student, Jane (Jaein) Ryu, as the winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for California's 47^th district. Ryu's submission, an acrylic self-portrait titled "Still Me," was chosen by an independent panel of three judges and will hang in the US Capitol building for the next year alongside the winning submissions from other Congressional districts.

"We received so many incredible works of art from young artists around Orange County, and I was so impressed by the creativity, talent, and technique that they showed," said Rep. Min. "Art serves such an important role in any civilized society, as a means of expressing complex emotion and narrative and ideas, and CA-47 has once again stepped up and shown that our future is bright. I thank all of the young artists who submitted visual works to this contest, and congratulate Jane Ryu for being selected."

The Congressional Art Competition is an annual opportunity for each congressional district to honor new talent and encourage youth participation in the arts. The competition began in 1982, and this year marks Congressman Min's first selection for the Capitol art wall.

Ryu, a resident of Irvine, created her piece around a central theme of identity, exploring how it evolves and remains constant. She described her piece saying, "Across different stages of my life, especially as someone who's moved between countries and cultures, the way I've seen myself has shifted - but the core of who I am has remained steady. […] Maybe identity isn't about how much we change, but what quietly stays with us, a kind of strength that doesn't need to be loud to be real." 

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