A Pittsford Student's Artwork Is Heading to the U.S. Capitol
The Short Version
- Naomi Luo of Sutherland High School won the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for NY-25, beating out student entries from across the district.
- Her artwork will hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for a full year starting June 25 — one of the most viewed student art exhibitions in the country.
- Rep. Joe Morelle serves as national co-chair of the 2026 competition, meaning NY-25 is at the center of the program this year.
- The competition has run since 1982 with more than 650,000 student participants nationwide; this year's theme was America's 250th Anniversary.
- The Sutherland Fine Arts Festival runs May 18–22 with a public opening reception May 20, 5–7 p.m.
Naomi Luo is a student at Sutherland High School. This spring, she entered the Congressional Art Competition for New York's 25th District — the annual competition run by the U.S. House of Representatives and co-chaired this year by Rep. Joe Morelle — and she won. Her artwork will hang in the U.S. Capitol for a full year, starting June 25, 2026, when she travels to Washington for the national winners' celebration. That's not a small thing. That's Pittsford sending something of itself to the center of the country.
What Naomi Won
What Naomi Won
The Congressional Art Competition selects one winner from each participating congressional district. Those winning pieces travel to Washington and are displayed in the Cannon Tunnel — the pedestrian walkway connecting House office buildings to the Capitol itself — where Members of Congress, staff, and visitors from around the world pass by every day. Naomi's work will be among them.
Rep. Morelle, who serves as co-chair of the 2026 competition alongside Rep. Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, has described what it's like to walk that tunnel every morning. His office has written that seeing student artwork displayed in the Capitol is a daily reminder of the imagination, talent, and promise young people bring to the country. Starting June 25, one of those pieces will be from Pittsford.
We don't yet know the medium or title of Naomi's piece — those details should surface when Rep. Morelle's office issues its formal announcement. What we do know is that this year's theme was America's 250th Anniversary, which means whatever she created was a response to that question: what does this country mean, seen through young eyes from a community like this one?
The Congressional Art Competition
The Congressional Art Competition
The competition has been running since 1982. More than 650,000 high school students have participated over the decades. Each spring, students submit entries to their representative's office, panels of local artists select the district winners, and those pieces make the trip to Washington. The exhibition that results is among the most widely viewed student art displays in the country — not in a gallery, but in the working halls of American democracy.
Morelle is no passive participant this year. He's serving as a national co-chair of the 2026 competition, which means NY-25 is at the center of the program, not just a participant in it. That Naomi won in his district, the year he's co-chairing, adds a layer to an already strong story.
What draws nearly half a million students to enter over four decades? It's not prize money. It's the chance to put something you made on the walls of a place that matters — and to have your community say, yes, this one represents us.
Pittsford's Arts Culture
Naomi's win doesn't exist in a vacuum. The week of May 18–22, Sutherland is hosting its Fine Arts Festival, a week-long celebration featuring artwork from all 15 art classes in the building. The opening reception is Wednesday, May 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. — and given the news about Naomi, it may feel a little different this year.
Pittsford Central School District runs arts programs from elementary school through AP Studio Art. The infrastructure exists. The teachers exist. The community that shows up for concerts and musicals and gallery nights exists. Naomi's win is what happens when all of that compounds over years.
When a student's art hangs in the Capitol, it says something about the community that raised her — not just the individual talent.
That's the wider community angle. The gift isn't just Naomi's skill. It's what Pittsford chose to invest in, year after year, in classrooms that most people drive past without thinking about.
How to Celebrate
How to Celebrate
The national winners' celebration is June 25 in Washington, D.C. — Naomi will be there in person for the opening of the Capitol exhibition. If you want to see student art closer to home first, the Sutherland Fine Arts Festival opens May 18 and runs through May 22, with a public reception on May 20.
What does it mean for a community when one of its students puts work on the walls of the Capitol? Maybe the better question is: when was the last time you walked into a Pittsford school and looked at what the kids are making?
