Imaged above is Sharon Sprung’s portrait of Patsy Mink, unveiled June 23, 2022, at the U.S. Capital in Washington, DC, to mark the 50th anniversary of when Title IX was signed into law.
”I was honored to be selected to paint this portrait of Representative Patsy Mink. It was unveiled in its new home at the United States Capital last week and joins the Congress’ First Series….
To create her portrait, I first immersed myself in who she was when she started in Congress. Exploring collections of videos, photos, personal writings, and personal experiences.
The final painting reveals a woman committed to hard work which she executed with enthusiasm and an overwhelming sense of optimism to make changes in Congress.
Grateful to now be a part of her story.” - Sharon Sprung, June 28, 2022
In 1964, Patsy Mink won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the first woman of color and the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress, plus the first woman elected to Congress from the state of Hawaii.
In 1972, Mink co-authored the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act, later renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act in 2002. This is the landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools or other educational programs funded by the federal government.
Mink was honored posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on November 24, 2014.
This is Sharon Sprung’s second commissioned portrait on display in Washington, DC. Sharon also painted the portrait of the first woman to ever serve in Congress, Jeannette Rankin. Visit The Art of Sharon Sprung to learn more.
Congratulations Sharon!