Published: December 24, 2008 08:40 am      

Local teen designs ornament for White House Christmas tree

As Cumberland County teen Kayla Ayers admires the colorful decorations this holiday season, she will be reminded of a unique hand-crafted piece on display in the nation’s capitol.

Ayers, the daughter of Jason and Sabrina Ayers of Cumberland County, was one of the few lucky artists from across the country selected to design an ornament as part of the holiday festivities at the White House. Her original creation now hangs on the 18 1/2-foot tall Fraser fir from North Carolina that sits in the White House’s Blue Room.

“My family couldn’t be more proud, and my friends think it’s neat,” said Ayers.

Every year, the First Lady carries on the tradition of preparing for the Christmas holiday by asking members of Congress to designate an artist from their state, district or territory to create an ornament reflecting a particular theme. This year’s rules required the ornaments to celebrate the patriotic spirit that unites Americans by incorporating a red, white and blue rendition of significant items in the artist’s community.

Congressman Lincoln Davis chose Ayers, who has been interested in art from a young age, to decorate the 4th District's ornament for the 2008 White House Christmas tree after contacting the senior’s art teacher at Stone Memorial High School.

“It was sheer luck I guess because I was only one of two high school students in the nation who was picked,” Ayers said when asked about being chosen for this honor. “They told me that it was all going to be high school students doing it, but it was all professional artists and people who won awards and stuff. So I don’t know at all how I got picked.”

Of the 369 ornaments submitted to the White House, only two of them were made by high school students. First Lady Laura Bush found this interesting pointed out during a recent press conference.

“She talked about (the ornaments) on CNN or something and she talked about me and this other girl from Texas being the only high school students picked…It was pretty overwhelming,” Ayers said.

The teenager, along with more than 200 artists, was invited to tour the White House and attend a reception on Tuesday, Dec. 2, to see her creation close-up on the Christmas tree. Amongst the twinkling lights and white garland rest the five-inch globe, proudly representing Cumberland County and the state of Tennessee.

Using acrylic paint, Ayers showcased several items of interest throughout the state.

On the bottom of the ornament, she drew an otter swimming in a pool of water to show the county's fascination with the animal. As the ornament turns, a tree with red and orange foliage appears along the water's edge, with four purple irises and a rock with Ayer's initials surrounding the tree's base. A man dressed in a red shirt and glasses sits nearby on a rock with a guitar on his lap, and on the other side of him is a white church high on a hill.

“We’re really popular for music around here so I drew my grandpa (Charles Presley) playing the guitar,” she explained. "Since we have so many churches, I also drew a church on a hill."

Keeping the patriotic theme in mind, Ayers spelled out the state's name in red, white and blue stripes and decorated it with tiny stars resembling those on the American flag.

Ayers is proud with how her depictions turned out, but she admitted that she struggled with coming up with an idea for the design.

"I got it (the blank globe) in the middle of the summer, and I sat there and looked at it and looked at it because I couldn’t figure out anything that I wanted to do and I was afraid of messing it up," she said. "So like a week before I had to turn it in, I did it and then we had to send it express mail.”

She said she was thankful for the experience not only because it allowed her to show her artistic side, but it also provided her with some good college offers. For instance, she has been accepted to the International Academy of Design and Technology in Nashville, which she is thinking of attending.

“I will probably go to a bigger school and transfer out of there in about two years or so," she said.

To see pictures of Ayers' work as well as the other ornaments from different states, visit www.whitehouse.gov.