Rockford Sun

State Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) has called on middle school students who live in the 70th District to submit their artwork for the upcoming Legislative Art Contest. 

Keicher took to social media to announce the contest would be taking place and how to find more information about it.

"I am offering a Middle School Art Contest again this Spring! Please visit my website below for details and feel welcome to share with any middle school students in your family or community," Keicher wrote in a Feb. 28 Facebook post.

According to the press release on his website, three entries, including an overall winner, will be put on display at Keicher's Sycamore office in May. 

“I appreciate the value of artistic expression and the role it plays in a child’s education,” Keicher said in the release.

Each entry must be original and meet the following criteria: artwork must be two-dimensional, framed pieces that can't be larger than 30 inches high, 30 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. It also can't weigh more than 15 pounds, the release stated. 

“This Art Contest is one effort to show my support of the arts in our schools and to celebrate our talented students," he added in the release. 

Paintings can be done with oil, acrylics, and watercolors. Drawings can be crafted with colored pencils, pencils, ink, marker, pastels, or charcoal. Collages involving mixed media must involve more than two mediums, according to the release. 

The deadline to submit the artwork is April 15. The artwork can be sent to or delivered at Keicher's office on W. State Street in Sycamore. 

This isn't the first time Keicher has focused on students. In recent weeks, he aimed to raise awareness of the availability of a newly-created tutoring program that aimed to help students whose studies have suffered because of the pandemic.