Lafayette senior’s art to be displayed in Capitol

Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, May 24, 2010

Gallery (click any photo to view the gallery)
Sasha Dantchenko of Lafayette High School was the 6th District’s overall winner in the 2010 Congressional Art Competition for her work “Metamorphosis,” which will be displayed in Washington, D.C., for a year.

Sasha Dantchenko of Lafayette High School was the 6th District’s overall winner in the 2010 Congressional Art Competition for her work “Metamorphosis,” which will be displayed in Washington, D.C., for a year.

Sasha Dantchenko of Lafayette High School was the 6th District’s overall winner in the 2010 Congressional Art Competition for her work “Metamorphosis,” which will be displayed in Washington, D.C., for a year. U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler (left) and FCPS Superintendent Stu Silberman congratulated Sasha and the other Fayette County winners at a reception hosted by Lafayette High School.

Sasha Dantchenko of Lafayette High School was the 6th District’s overall winner in the 2010 Congressional Art Competition for her work “Metamorphosis,” which will be displayed in Washington, D.C., for a year.

Sasha's piece was a self-portrait with her cello, which she assembled using Photoshop.

“People, when they create art, become their art,” she said, explaining the concept of her design.

She spent more than five hours morphing images of her body with the musical instrument; the most difficult part was blending her spine with the wood grain of the cello.

“They are both very beautiful and work well together,” said Sasha, a senior in the SCAPA program at Lafayette.

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., congratulated her and several other Fayette County students for their outstanding contest entries.

“Ms. Dantchenko’s art will hang in the halls of our nation’s Capitol, representing Central Kentucky to the country and the world,” he said. “This is no small accomplishment. It makes me so happy to see this talent right here in Lexington from all of these young people.”

Created in 1982, the Congressional Art Competition is an annual contest in which student artwork is judged at the congressional district level. (Chandler represents the 6th District, which covers 16 counties.) In addition to an overall district winner, a winner is chosen from each county and in each of seven categories: painting, drawing, collage, print, mixed media, computer generated art and photography. 

Chandler recognized winners from Bryan Station, Lafayette and Tates Creek high schools at the May 24 reception, hosted by Lafayette.

  • 6th District overall winner: Sasha Dantchenko, Lafayette High School, “Metamorphosis”
  • Honorable mention: Ashlea McIllwain, Lafayette, “Purple Vase”
  • Fayette County winner: Sasha Dantchenko, Lafayette, “Metamorphosis”
  • Fayette County honorable mention: Katherine Spears, Lafayette, “Tortoise”
  • Computer-Generated Art winner: Nia Johnson, Tates Creek High School, “Ultra Cutie Kanako”
  • Painting winner: Jesi Hoelzer, Bryan Station High School, “Future Garden”
  • Painting honorable mention: Sara Mullins, Lafayette, “Holiday Cheer”
  • Print winner: Emily Collier, Lafayette, “No Rest for the Weary”
  • Mixed Media winner: Katherine Spears, Lafayette, “Tortoise”
  • Mixed Media honorable mention: Michael Sikora, Lafayette, “Opened Spectrum”