We are studying different African masks with Ms. Boxer in art class. Masks have been made by different African tribes for thousands of years. They are objects that have religious and symbolic meanings. Some masks represent ancestors or powerful spirits. We have African communities in Brooklyn and some of my classmates come from Africa. I used different kinds of paper and other materials to create my own kind of African mask.

This project is inspired by my Middle Eastern culture. In Yemen, women spend a great deal of time weaving and sewing. My teacher, Ms. Baker inspired the class to tap into their cultural backgrounds and create a weaving. I remember a good friend of my mother's who came from Yemen; she made a beautiful pink and blue knit sweater for my little sister. The sweater reminds me of my textile project.

The inspiration for this artwork is peace and quiet. The flowers represent the nice cool breeze on the island of Puerto Rico. I personally love to create art because when I do, I am relaxed and my thoughts are free to roam. Being able to take a moment to relax is important for me, it is like taking a break from all my worries.

Nature is part of my life. It is calming and refreshing. I feel like I can talk to my plant. One time when I looked at my plant, a firefly landed on my shoulder and whispered in my ear. I appreciate nature's gifts. The plant that Ms. Srour set up for our still life painting in class reminded me of my grandfather and his special plants back in China.

This collage was inspired by Mola Art and was created to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at school. My work tells a story. If you look at my art piece closely, you will know how the creature feels. I decided to make the animal in this way to express the creature's feelings.

I was inspired to create this city collage based on the film "Abominable." The dragon is from my drawings and the color of the sky reflects the night.

Islam inspired me to do this work. Islam is my religion. Mecca and Medina are religious places for Muslims. My entire family went to visit them except for me. Mecca is the one and only God's house. That is what inspired me. That is the reason.

I was inspired by a tour I took to a garden that had a Koi pond. The fish were wonderful to see. I was also inspired by mixing different colors to find different combinations I liked. What I enjoy most about this painting is the color scheme. The warm and cool colors work well together. This is my favorite work of art this year.

In art class we talked about Islamic tile patterns. My teacher said that we were going to make patterns in metal and I began thinking about a web. I practiced how to draw a web in my sketchbook and then drew it on my metal plate.

I like drawing turtles. The tail was hard to print. I had to fill it in using a paintbrush and ink.

To make my lion look scary and fierce I pointed the eyebrows and then made the eyes look down. I used a hole puncher to create the pupils.

In class, we were asked to create an Imaginary symmetrical Insect after looking at insects painted by French artist, Bernard Durin. I drew half the insect on paper, traced it using tracing paper then flipped it over and transferred it onto the other half. All the dots and the background took a very long time to draw. I'm proud of it!

The wolf is my spirit animal. Wolves are intelligent and peaceful.

In my work I was inspired by the Day of the Dead holiday. I was interested in the skulls and flowers related to this holiday.

This painting was inspired by many experiences from my childhood. When I think back on them, I realize that many of these experiences were centered around a drink called mate. Culturally unique to Argentina, mate is a hot tea-like beverage that has a bitter flavor. This has always intrigued me because it seems ironic that the bitter taste is liked by so many people and can channel such fond memories. Hence, the painting's title "Bitter Solace".

My work was inspired by an image I took of my mother's childhood village on a trip to China in 2018. It made me wonder if my mom had set foot on the exact spot where I was standing. I wondered how everything around me had changed and become what it was now. I am fascinated by my culture and want to learn about my bloodline. This painting depicts my love and gratitude and makes me feel as if I am silently leaning on the tree being overwhelmed by history. I love that art can create such escapism.

I wanted to put all my colors on the page to make dreidels. My favorite part was mixing the colors.

Chinese culture is lively and colorful. I used all the colors of the rainbow in my dragon in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

The assignment was to do a painting inspired by my cultural heritage, so I decided to focus on the architecture of China. There are many temples and pagodas in China. Pagodas are symbols of both Chinese religion and culture. When I see them I think of my parents who emigrated from China to America so that my brother and I could have better opportunities. I also think of the delicacy and grace of Chinese arts and architecture.

This is a giant panda that lives in the mountains of China. I like pandas because they are fuzzy and cute. We learned to make the fur look fuzzy as we were painting. Pandas have very sharp teeth. They love to eat bamboo. The baby cubs are tiny, like thumbs.

The idea of making a piñata was introduced to us by our Spanish teacher. Our Art teacher Mr. Gitlin, allowed our class to create our own piñatas anyway we wanted, so we decided to make a burrito (Donkey) the most traditional type of piñata in Mexico. We chose the burrito to represent our culture and to show how proud we are to come from Mexico. We wanted to capture the beauty of our country in a realistic/cartoonish way. We hope this inspires other kids to embrace their own cultures as well.

My teacher asked us to create the twelve Zodiac animals for a Chinese New Year Celebration. I picked the tiger because it is one of my favorite animals. I really enjoyed creating the animal and picking the background paper for my artwork.

I like summer. I decided to put an ice cream on the shirt because people eat ice cream in the summer months. Blue reminds me of water and the hot pink represents the brightness of summer. My sculpture is of a girl who loves the summer.

We were asked to make a ceramic house. When I was doing research I came across a house that looked like a castle with a tall tower next to it. This type of castle was new to me. It wasn't something I had seen in Brooklyn, where I live, or in Bangladesh where I grew up, so I decided to make it. The architectural designs of the house excited me even more because it is a dream of mine to become an architect one day.

I started this project not knowing how to make masks. My instructor helped me learn the necessary techniques and provided me with a bust. We wrapped the face with layers of plaster gauze until a thick shell was formed. After three layers of plaster I let it dry. As it dried I planned the design. I wanted to achieve an antique look similar to that of Japanese Noh masks. I am very happy with the results and hope you enjoy it as well.

While creating this sculpture I was inspired by the typical characters I see when I watch Chinese dramas in which the characters wear classical Chinese clothing. This girl is growing up, leaving her childhood and is almost a woman. However, she is ready for the transition and is shown as a very beautiful and calm person. She is at peace with her life and almost looks as if she is sleeping. This girl has experienced the wonders of nature as represented by the blossoms and greens in her traditional clothing.