9th Grade - 12th Grade

It has helped me express myself in I way I couldn't verbally.

When I draw, I feel like an athlete who passes the finish line and wins first place.

Art has made a huge difference in my life. Drawing puts me in a place of inner peace and allows me to express the unique aspects of my personality and meet other people with similar interests. It also builds my confidence learning English because I can communicate through my work. This process lets me discover new parts of myself, such as skills I didn't realize I, or my classmates, were capable of.

I am trying to say that everybody has a talent to do something that they want to do, you just have to hear your heart and be creative and while doing this artwork it make me feels confident with myself and not scared to show it to others.

We are all still beautiful even if we have scars. Laxmi (left) is scarred due to an acid attack. Depeeka (right) comforts her. This piece exemplifies that we should be comfortable in our own skin. Even if we don’t feel like it, we are all beautiful and should embrace it.

Art has me working on pieces of paper for an entire day, gaining no money, but it still makes me the happiest I could be.

I wanted to communicate the virtue of temperance, or self control. I had hoped to convey the value in calming oneself and choosing to refrain from impulsive, angry thoughts when coping with stressful situations which present themselves in daily life.

Art brings communities together and encourages empathy. This artwork was made to pay respect to my grandmother, Theresa. She decorated her home with elephants as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. After her passing, the memory of her loving hands are what stuck with me. This painting symbolizes all that she represents in my life.

Being an artist made a difference in my life because it gives me the ability to be creative with just a piece of paper and something to draw with. I started off Pre-k with a box of crayons and now I'm creating images with charcoal.

This piece communicates the sensitivity/essence of cat fur, and how it looks in light and shadow.

I am showing power and being proud like the Nigerian American artist Kehinde Wiley. I used printmaking in my background with colors from my family culture. I am posing like Diego Velasquez.

When I think about America, I think of cultural diffusion, a big part of that is New York and its delis. Inside you’ll find a mix of products from different places. I hope that viewers will see that even in the smallest places we are exposed to other people’s cultures. I hope to continue in my years of high school and beyond.

As an artist I am inspired by the stories of other people and the society we live in. There are many injustices that occur in our society that I would like to bring awareness through art. I also find inspiration in the artwork of other artists through museum visits.

I strive to communicate the beauty within; taking into consideration that a piece of art can be interpreted millions of ways. I’d like for my viewers to dive past the surface for the complimentary features obscured and making people curious as to what is the story behind it all.

I wanted to show how traditional Punjabi clothing and accessories look, and how they are different from other cultures. I also wanted to separate the clothing from those traditionally worn in India, since each is unique and beautiful in their own way.

It helped me view the world differently by noticing the small details in life and appreciate it. The beauty of nature and art used for therapeutic purposes.

When I make art, I get energized. I work independently. I am unique and talented.

Being an artist changed the way I think about the world more. And that there's much more than just lines and color. That I can create something with my hands. Art helped me be stable and deal with my depression during my starting years of art.

I like to touch my materials. In this wall hanging, I really like the soft, colorful feathers.

I am exploring why communities permit evil acts against other humans. Here are young children trapped behind barbed wire and nationalist propaganda. My fingerprints connect the imagery of the Holocaust to my latino identity and today's imprisonment/abuse of immigrant children in camps, driven by similarly nationalist propaganda.

Making art has made a difference in my life by letting me express my feelings through art. Making art has helped me through hard times such as the times I went through depression after moving to a new country, leaving my friends and family behind, and not knowing the language.

Being an artist has helped me increase my creative flow. I have been able to implement this strategy in real life such as decorating a room, working on a group project and even my internship which is design-focused.

Being an artist has impacted my life a lot. Often when I am stressed, drawing or painting helps me feel relaxed. I learned how to de-stress through art and that has made a huge different in my life. Being an artist changed me and made me who I am.

Since coming from the Philippines 3 years ago, I found myself having a hard time getting comfortable with my new surroundings. I used art as an outlet. I found myself drawing and sketching every day. I always feel at ease when I am drawing. It also helped me make friends. I have always drawn or sketched.. but what really inspired me is video games and Japanese animation. I was so excited when I was put in a 3d art class and was able to learn 3-d modeling using Maya and Zbrush.

I’m drawn by my inner-me, my mood, and the moment of the day. Art helps me when I’m stressed, it’s my way of releasing my creative spirit. I’ve found some people cannot express how they feel through words but they find a way to express it through art.

Being an artist has allowed me to showcase the world through my point of view. I know how to look at other works of art and try to find the deeper meaning behind it. As an artist I am inspired by the things around me. If I see something that looks interesting I would take a picture, for example I would take a picture of a bird in flight or the neighborhood I live in but mostly I take pictures of my family.

Ultimately, I am inspired by other artists. Whether past or present day. I love looking at the work of other artists and I admire the amount of effort they put in. Observing the quality of their work gives me ideas and inspires me to work harder.