The Sparkly Self-portrait, Davionanna Jones, Grade 1, Teacher: Heather deKoning Foley, Principal: Beth Lubeck, 14K132

Leacadia with Snowflakes, Leacadia Czajkowski, Grade 1, Teacher: Heather deKoning Foley, Principal: Beth Lubeck, 14K132

Self-portrait, Watercolor
Zoey Amadis, Grade 1
Teacher: Kathlyn WIlson
Principal: Laurence Lord
18K235, P.S. 235 Janice Marie Knight

I was inspired to do this self-portrait to show some things about myself. I am wearing the shirt I got at Kalahari on a family vacation. It was my birthday so I was happy. I think my painting shows how hard I worked using the mirror to make it realistic - especially my eyes and my hair-which aren't perfect, but that's okay!

In our society black women aren’t appreciated for their Afro-centric features. I wanted to highlight one of the features - Black hair. There are little girls who are raised to adhere to European beauty standards pressuring our young "queens" to straighten their hair and suppress kinks and curls. I wanted to empower black women and little girls to embrace their natural hair and learn to love themselves.

This is a self-portrait. I love to create comics and reimagine the endings of stories and cartoons. In my portrait the word "Mosnry" stands for money.

Almost everyday, people travel by: walking, bicycle, car, bus, subway, skateboard, roller skates, and even planes. I tried to portray all methods of transportation available and added the various ethnic groups found in Brooklyn. We all share a daily commute.

I made my self-portrait just the way I see myself. I like to wear clips in my hair, it makes me feel pretty. I wanted the picture to look just like me.

I love art, it is what I love most when I am at home. I always wanted to do a self-portrait but I didn't have the supplies to do it. I decided to put patterned paper in my hair because I love sparkly things.

This is a picture of the first time my little brother took a ride on the train. He had just woken up and I wanted to make him laugh for the picture. When I brought my camera on the train everyone was watching me as if I was going to steal someone’s money or worse. I was so nervous and embarrassed when they looked at me but in the end it was worth it.

I was inspired by the photographs that photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White took in the Soviet Union. I admire the way she captured the expressions of her subjects and used them to tell a story. Little Odessa, Brighton Beach has the highest density of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants in the Western Hemisphere. Most of these immigrants came prior to, and just after the fall of the Soviet Union.

I like art class. It is fun and I like to paint. My teacher showed us how to paint ourselves using mirrors.

In my work I wanted to show that we should be respectful of people even though they are different. I am different because I am a Muslim and wear a hijab. In my work I am wearing a blue dress with flowers and butterflies. I am wearing a purple hijab. I drew a cat because I love cats.

I came to Bed-Stuy when I was five and have lived here ever since. I walk past murals and graffiti that make my community feel like a home. They inspire me to become a better artist. This piece is called "The Peacock's Heart" and represents what I've learned from Buddhism, and from the strong black women in my life. They taught me strength and confidence and Buddhism taught me peace and balance.

I decided to do a monochromatic self-portrait because I have always wanted to do a painting of myself. I had taken a photo of myself that I really liked and wanted to use. I added the name of my parents on either side of myself and my name is on the top in Chinese. I wanted to do something that would express my background and culture.

Head in the Clouds, Drawing Pencils and Acrylic
Batool Kamal, Grade 8
Teacher: Melina Badia
Principal: Justin Berman
20K187, The Christa McAuliffe

This work is inspired by a picture I encountered of a mirror with clouds painted all over the edges. I thought it would be cool to paint clouds because when combined with my self-portrait, it would look as if the thoughts in my head were in the clouds.

This artwork represents me, what I like, and how I feel. I incorporated colors, patterns, and a Renaissance pose to connect my piece to the works and style of Kehinde Wiley who we studied in class.

I was joking around in the art club and started to paint this random man. I just made everything look big and weird. When I was done with it I laughed because it looked crazy. My art teacher picked it up and said that it was really cool. It is abstract.

This is me! It is a self-portrait based on the style of Kehinde Wiley . We saw a video "The New Republic" and I based this project on it. I wanted to show myself (just like Wiley shows his subjects) with my street-clothes and my hoodie!

I am inspired to draw. The moment I begin to draw my hand is moved by my imagination and I forget about everything else. Art is a magical world where your imagination can run free and you are able to depict your dreams. I am particularly inspired by the unique beauty of different facial features, eye colors, and personal expressions.

I was inspired when my art teacher said that our artwork should really "pop"! While making this piece I thought about that. I had no ideas for the clothing so I used black and patterned paper to look like a sweater I wear often and then added a silver zipper. The headband represents friendship because my friend and I wear headbands. I have these earrings. I play roller derby so I included the blue hair.

Art Club members drew inspiration from the photo-collages of David Hockney,. They focused on the parts of themselves they felt were most representative of their personalities and identities. This collaborative piece celebrates the great diversity within the group and is a powerful expression of unity and creative community.

To me, Brooklyn means people from many countries, with many colors of skin, languages and religions. This is a picture of a Brooklyn inhabitant - colorful and free - because to me everyone does and looks the way they want. People here are nice and helpful. I'm in the picture too.