Dorothy Yaun’s ‘First Face’ wins congressional high school art competition

The first time Dorothy Yaun drew a portrait in her advanced art class, it was meant to be a practice piece for a future endeavor. It started as an assignment to tackle the basics, but Yaun put over 30 hours into getting “the face” just right. She focused on the subject’s expressive eyes and deep skin tones, using Prismacolor pencils, textured paper imported from India, and gold leaf pen to create her mixed-media artwork. 

 

The portrait that was just for practice took Yaun on an unexpected and exciting journey. Her piece, titled “America’s Immigrant Daughter,” won first place in the 2021 Congressional High School Art Competition for South Carolina’s First District. 

 

On May 11, Congresswoman Nancy Mace visited Philip Simmons High School to congratulate Yaun for her prestigious award. More than 650,000 high school students have participated since the competition began in 1982. The portrait will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building for one year. Yaun and her family will be invited to an unveiling ceremony held in Washington, D.C.

 

“Meeting Congresswoman Nancy Mace was very exciting,” Yaun said. “She was really down to earth and easy to talk to. It was an honor for her to come and congratulate me in person.”

 

Dorothy’s parents, Beth and Matt Yaun, added, “It was wonderful to see everyone at Philip Simmons High so excited for Dorothy and her accomplishment. Dorothy has always enjoyed art as a hobby, but her teacher [Paige Duvall] has really helped her blossom as an artist this year.”

 

When asked about her impression of the winning portrait, Mace commented, “I am struck by Ms. Yaun’s incredible artistic talent. She so beautifully captured the very essence of this young woman. She represents both our history and the future of America. The woman depicted here is driven to achieve the American Dream. Ms. Yaun has done an incredible job in capturing the spirit of opportunity and hope in her artwork, which defines the Lowcountry and our great nation.”

 

Yaun was inspired by a group called “The Memory Project Organization,” which unites art students with children living in orphanages and group homes around the world. Once paired up, student artists draw a hyper-realistic portrait of the child and send them the portrait.

 

Paige Duvall, the Fine Arts Department chairperson at Philip Simmons High School, explained,  “Dorothy was very interested in participating in the Memory Project but she had not drawn a portrait yet so I wanted her to practice doing an unrelated portrait first. Her practice portrait is the piece that won the Congressional Award, believe it or not! And since completing that piece, she has finished two Memory Project portraits for children in India.”

 

Duvall, who is a seasoned portrait artist as well as Yaun’s instructor, said, “I see Dorothy’s work as an artist’s exploration of cultures, customs, and traditions different than her own. I see Dorothy as an artist that is not afraid to play with color, various media, and textiles to create artwork that is far more sophisticated than her age would suggest.”

 

Chris Buchholz, principal at Philip Simmons High School, praised the growth and progress that the art department has achieved in four short years. “We had a small program that included Intro to Art and Art 2. Now, the program has expanded to include Art 3 Honors, Art 4 Honors, AP 2D Design, AP Drawing, AP 3D Design, Intro to 3D Sculpture, and 3D Sculpture Honors. In the future, we would like to offer printmaking, textile art, and graphic design classes.”

 

On May 11, Yaun’s award-winning “practice portrait” worked its magic to connect community leaders, a local small business that donated framing, teachers, and the entire student body at her school. 

 

“A strong arts program connects students with their own culture as well as with the wider world. This is integral for fostering an accepting, inclusive student body. It also teaches students to start problem solving creatively not just in the art classroom, but on the field, math class, and even in social situations,” Duvall commented.