Washington, D.C.-The Honorable Bruce James, public printer of the United States, formally announced the finalists for "Road Trip: A Journey of Discovery," a national juried exhibition for young artists with disabilities. James also paid tribute to the tremendous work done by U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) employees with disabilities during a press conference held this morning at the GPO headquarters. The GPO is also soliciting a government agency to feature a selected work of art in one of their publications. "There are millions of Americans with disabilities in this country, many of whom happen to be children. On behalf of everyone at GPO, it is with great pride and honor that we recognize the accomplishments of these young and talented artists, they are an inspiration to us all," said public printer James. "We are delighted once again to join with Volkswagen and Ability Magazine to bring the outstanding work of these young artists into the national spotlight," said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. "VSA arts continues to create a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. With this recognition by corporate America, Congress, and the arts community, these artists can further pursue their education in the arts. The more young artists are encouraged to develop their talents, the more our society will be the rich, vibrant one we all want to live in." Ability Magazine is the media sponsor for "Road Trip: A Journey of Discovery" and will feature the 15 finalists in its October/November issue. An online exhibit of "Road Trip: A Journey of Discovery" is available at . The artists were chosen for the awards through a national call for entries that went out to high schools, colleges, independent living centers, and art organizations in May 2003. Artists were asked to submit work that reflected the theme "Road Trip: A Journey of Discovery." The jury panel included Dr. Jonathan P. Binstock, curator of contemporary art, Corcoran Gallery of Art; Phyllis Rosenzweig, curator of works on paper, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution; Chris Bradley, vice president-creative director, Arnold Worldwide; and Professor William Newman, Corcoran College of Art and Design. A full spectrum of disabilities is represented in the exhibition, including osteogenesis imperfecta, diabetes, blindness, Asperger's syndrome, cerebral palsy quadriplegia, Down syndrome, and autism. Each artist was asked to provide a statement in his or her application. Jonathan Wos, the grand prize awardee, wrote, "My disability affects my art just as much as my art affects the way I think about my disability... Art is a window to my life..." Awards were presented to: * $10,000 Grand Prize: Jonathan Wos of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who plans to use his award to continue his studies in fine art and create a Web site of his work. * $5,000 First Prize: Gianna Marzilli of Williamstown, Massachusetts, who will use the award to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art at Williams College. * $3,000 Second Prize: Nathan Paluzzi of Baltimore, Maryland, who will use the award to pursue a five-year masters degree in art education. * $1,000 Awards of Excellence: Ailson Carvalho of Washington, D.C. David Beharry of Ft. Lauderdale, FL Karina Chaikhoutdinov of Brooklyn, NY Kaye Evans-Lutterodt of Dorchester, MA William Ferguson of The Woodlands,TX Jordan Foster of Jacksonville, FL Jennifer Jacques of Chelsea, VT Meredith Lamy of Winston-Salem, NC Kelley McAdams of West Bloomfield, MI Mame N'Diaye of McLean, VA Catron Peterson of Rineyville, KY Jennifer Thomas of Concord, MA "Part of VSA arts' mission is to strengthen the human spirit, thereby improving the quality of life for these young artists. Volkswagen is proud to support and share in this endeavor," said Steve Keyes, director of corporate communications for Volkswagen of America, Inc. "Road Trip: A Journey of Discovery," an exhibit of work by award-winning artists with disabilities, will open at the gallery-first floor west wing of the Children's National Medical Center on Thursday, October 16 from 5:30-8 pm. The exhibit will run from October 13, 2003 to January 7, 2004. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.