Amo Announces Caroline Gordon as Winner of Rhode Island’s First District’s 2026 Congressional Art Competition 

PROVIDENCE, RI –  TODAY, Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI) announced that Caroline Gordon of Riverside has won the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for the First Congressional District of Rhode Island. Gordon’s painting, “Thursday Evening,” depicts a trumpeter, bassist, and saxophonist gathering to play in a dark room, giving the viewer a sense of musicality. 

The runner-up prize was awarded to Aleen Canté Ortiz of Central Falls for her painting, “Between Two Worlds: Dreams that Cross Borders,” titled in Spanish as, “Entre Dos Mundos: Sueños Que Cruzan Fronteras.” 

“Rhode Island’s young artists demonstrated incredible talent and creativity in this year’s Congressional Art Competition,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI-01). “Caroline’s painting beautifully captures one art form through another, while Aleen’s work pays homage to the grace of living between two communities. I’m grateful to every student who submitted their work and to the teachers who inspired them. I look forward to becoming better acquainted with each of these outstanding works over the next year as I walk past Caroline's piece in the halls of the U.S. Capitol and Aleen’s as it adorns my Rhode Island office. I cannot wait to see what these young women accomplish next and encourage Rhode Island’s young artists to keep creating.”

Background

Caroline Gordonis a Junior at School One in Providence, RI. Aleen Canté Ortiz is a Junior at Central Falls High School in Central Falls, RI. 

Each spring, the Congressional Institute, a non-partisan organization that supports the U.S House of Representatives, sponsors a nationwide high-school arts competition with a winner selected to represent each Congressional District. Since 1982, more than 650,000 students have participated. 
 

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