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Arts & Entertainment

Lake Forest High School Artist's Work to Be Displayed in Halls of Congress

Senior Haley Betts wins Congressional Art Contest for her self-portrait.

Each time Tenth Congressional District and his colleagues walk from their offices to cast votes on the floor of Congress, they will have the opportunity to see Haley Betts as she sees herself.

They will see the Lake Forest teenager in jeans spray painting words toward a photo of her face. 

“It’s me spray painting me with things I like. They say things about me,” Betts said, describing the stream of letters in the work. “Things like bagels, Lord of the Rings and Flavor Blasted Goldfish.”

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Betts’ self-portrait was recently honored in the 30th annual Congressional Art Competition for people living in the Tenth Congressional District. She is the second consecutive Lake Forest High School student to be honored. Last year, Elias Ajaga, a 2010 graduate, was given the award.

Betts’ self portrait will hang in the passageway from the Cannon Congressional Office Building to the U.S. Capitol for a year with the other 435 winners. 

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“I feel humble to have all those important people looking at it (the self portrait) all the time,” Betts said.

Betts didn’t even know her artwork had been entered by her art teacher at Lake Forest High School, . Betts learned of the entry when she received a call from Dold’s office asking her to attend the announcement of the winners.

“I was surprised. I’m really pleased my work is being recognized for something,” Betts said.

“I was so impressed to meet a man of power,” she added, describing the ceremony where she was recognized for the best high school art work in the area May 7 in Dold’s Northbrook office. She was competing with students from 21 high schools in the district.

Betts is enrolled in an elite advanced placement studio art class at the high school where each student creates a thematic portfolio of work, according to Zare. Betts’ self portrait was part of her yearlong project depicting teen life. 

She started with two pictures of herself, one from the rear and another of her face. The clothes and other images were added with graphic techniques. In addition to the self portrait, other work in the portfolio deals with teenage life in Lake Forest.

“It (the portfolio) shows the life of a typical teenager,” Zare said. “It deals with boys, dating and the stress of friendships, all the things a teenager confronts.”

Two judges from the North Shore Art League determined the top three finishers from all the entrants. The judges developed a point system based on three categories; originality, creative spirit and technical skill, according to Nancy Behles of Winnetka, one of the two judges. 

“When you look at all the work and add up the points it is pretty obvious which is best,” Behles said. 

Betts’ honors will include a trip to Washington, D.C.  on June 22 to meet a number of members of Congress when she will be feted with the other winners from across the country. 

“We get a tour of the White House,” Betts said enthusiastically about the two-day trip she will take with her mother, Jennifer Betts. Jennifer is excited for her daughter and about the trip. 

“I’m very proud of her. I always knew she had the talent. She loves art, she is artistic,” said Jennifer Betts, who is “absolutely thrilled” about the trip to Washington and meeting Dold. “I voted for Congressman Dold. I’m a big old Republican.” 

Haley Betts comes by her talent naturally. Her older sister, Tegan, is an art major at Illinois State University. Tegan concentrates on painting and drawing while Haley’s specialties are graphics and photography. Their mother has talent in these fields as well. 

helped coach. Jennifer and David are Lake Forest natives who could think of no better place to raise their family. 

“I never left. I went to Barat College,” Jennifer said. “We love our hometown. We wanted to raise our kids in Lake Forest. You can’t go wrong.” 

Haley also has an independent streak and she uses it when she wants something. Her parents support that independence. As a freshman, she took graphic design and studied photography as a sophomore. She needed a camera and wanted a good one. 

“She got a job at Fred’s Barber Shop to get her first camera,” Jennifer said. “It was no ordinary camera. It was a Canon.”

Haley put her paychecks away until she had enough money for the purchase. 

“I like paying for things myself,” Haley said. “It’s nice having my own money.” She currently waits tables at Walker Brothers Restaurant in Highland Park. 

Haley will enroll in the commercial design program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale this fall. In addition to creating pieces combining photography and graphics like her self portrait, she hopes to eventually design advertising, billboards and logos.

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