Student Artwork Presenters

God blessed me with the experience of participating in the 2022 National Model United Nations Security Council. This artwork represents the culmination of the conference in New York City, where I spent a memorable week in April, meeting people from around the world, seeing new places, and living an extraordinary experience.

Subsequently, this artwork illustrates the culmination of the committee sessions on a Wednesday afternoon. The Security Council met during fresh Spring mornings, lively afternoons, and late evenings illuminated with the quintessential golden luster of New York City. During those sessions, delegates from different continents convened to make this world a better place. There were no borders behind those mahogany doors, only a common goal: maintaining international peace. Therefore, walking around the long table with draping white tablecloths resembled traveling around the world. Each corner held foreign countries that safeguarded diverse interests, shared historical perspectives, and promoted various projects to enhance the futures of each nation. Conversing with the delegates of each Member State meant diving into a different culture to the melody of distinct accents that painted their stances. Such conversations built bridges between nations, connections that allowed ambitious projects to be drafted into paper.

The scene in this painting portrays the Member States raising their placards to vote unanimously to adjourn the Security Council after spending eight sessions together while breaking barriers and building connections.

My ancestry has inspired my art piece reflecting Around the World in 7 Days: Breaking Barriers, Building Connections. How is it my own family takes me around the world? My parents both take great interest in their ancestry. And so I also have an interest in our cultural background which as it turns out is quite diverse. My parents’ ancestry traces back to multiple culturally rich places, all scattered throughout the planet. This made me think about how, not even too long ago, any kind of relationship between my mom and dad would be unlikely, even unheard of. My mom, a Mexican-Armenian-American woman, and my dad, an American descendant of Irish, English, Italians, Germans and Norwegians, would have been on opposite sides of the world had they been born even a few generations before. People from such different places from around the world meeting and forming friendships, let alone relationships, is now a more common occurrence, but not any less a special joy of today’s global community. My predecessors reached America at various points in time, came together to break barriers and ultimately build connections that resulted in my diverse family. My art piece reflects my mom’s background with her dress featuring influences from Mexico, Armenia and Spain. My dad’s clothing reflects his diverse European background featuring influences from Ireland, England, and Norway. This illustration is my vision of my culturally rich family background. My family takes me Around the World daily - barriers having been broken and connections built only a few generations ago.

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of mycelium, a fascinating underground network of a sort of neuronal pathway that facilitates communication between organisms that ordinarily would seem remarkably different from each other. Research shows 92% of plant families are connected and interact with fungi. Through this vital symbiosis, mycelium can move nutrients from a healthy plant that can afford it, to a sick plant desperately in need of them. Mycelium allows for protection from pathogens and our agricultural plants are thought to be much more successful because they are connected via mycelium. It is a system that allows ecosystems to continue functioning when conditions aren’t ideal- and we could learn so much from this type of connection.

After watching the news one night I just felt hopeless. The doom and dread reported over and over were about tensions increasing on the other side of the planet, and it weighed on me as the night went on. Eventually, to get my mind off it, I turned on a nature documentary about mushrooms. I let it play in the background while I brought out paints. I had no idea where this project was going when it started. I’ve always turned to art to unburden my soul, and on this night, it was very helpful.

This is a mixed media work of primarily collaged images, I created trying to express that everything, down to the smallest little thing, on this planet is connected. We are connected to each other, just as the mycelium network underneath a mushroom connects one organism in a forest to another, and to another. The barriers are negated when the connection is strong. It is my hope that our actions may be less severe – and our planet a safer place- if we keep that in the forefront of our minds.

Meet three virtual friends who are traveling from far and wide to join each other for a Girls Trip. Living in different countries, it is not often they get to do this; not often The Local, the Watcher, and the Day Tripper embark on an adventure. On this occasion, they're going to a beautiful beach town called Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. There they will find big waves and great people. They will surf, have a walk on the beach, and just enjoy the feeling of the sand beneath their toes. They will eat food that will leave them wanting more, including, but not limited to, authentic Japanese cuisine, Italian food served from the heart, and mouth watering Mexican food. So, when each day of their vacation comes to a close, and their skin is red, hair is tangled, and sand is everywhere, they must choose a place to eat. Thus, where to for dinner? Las Gorditas is meant to represent how the bond of friendship is able to persist through the boundaries of internationality, whether it is strictly drawn nation lines, language barriers, or cultural differences. They meet in a place where relationships can be forged and connections can be made without fully knowing the language. It is a place where people come from all over the world to live a slow, happy life, a place where there is a common understanding of adventure. Las Gorditas demonstrates the friendships that see past differences and connect through shared laughter, shared meals, shared adventures, and a shared need for a hairbrush.

This piece is called POV (point of view) which depicts a girl looking at a Japanese food restaurant from a fish-eye perspective to showcase the feelings of first being introduced to different cultures, food, traditions, customs, etc. This certain angle emphasizes the idea that connecting with different people can sometimes be overwhelming or “too much”, especially with this certain perspective which most of the time gets labeled as an awkward or weird angle, yet it is also seen as a fun and distinctive view. The different designs and patterns scattered around the restaurant signify the explosion of emotions when exposed to something new almost as if its “out of this world” and a once-in-a-lifetime thing, nevertheless, the wind blowing the girl’s hair foreshadows the girl’s determination to keep moving forward and explore new things. The black-and-white color scheme was chosen to represent the audience’s perspective, meaning that only they can choose whether they fill in and view an experience as something special in which they can embrace and appreciate something different. The black outline mimics those of a coloring book, once again referring to the fact that a person picks out their own colors to make the image in this case an experience “pop” and more unique to themselves.

Building connections can be something difficult and is not always easy, but one can choose otherwise with an open mindset and positive view. Breaking out of your comfort zone can be extremely uncomfortable however, getting through that start line can lead to more incredible and fascinating adventures.

An ecosystem requires a great many animals, plants, and organisms to flourish. Every flower expresses a particular charm, with a unique hue and distinct fragrance adorning each bloom. Varying in size, growth, and foliage, trees produce a multitude of fruit varying in texture and taste. Yet, these differing organisms all emerge from the same earth, bask in the same sun, and rely on the same clouds to shower them with rain. In order to thrive and survive, the earth and its nature need diversity.

Since diversity is an integral aspect of nature, it makes complete sense that our communities need it as well. By promoting cultural diffusion and inspiring new ideas, diversity supports a vibrant society. When a group of people has different skill sets, beliefs, and backgrounds, each person is able to contribute their roots to support a greater community ecosystem.

In nature, lack of diversity is a detriment to the greater ecosystem. A forest comprised of the same species of tree can be wiped out by a single disease. In turn, humans who surround themselves with the same type of ideas may unknowingly infect their minds with bias and prejudice. It is not easy to accept ideas that contrast those deeply rooted within our mindset. Yet attempting to listen and understand others provides a new perspective; fueling our minds with bigger and brighter thoughts. This grows us as individuals and informed citizens that will better aid the community ecosystem. On the outside, we differ in appearance. On the inside, we differ in thoughts and ideas. But in our humanity, we derive from the same roots.

This painting is titled "Connect through Intimacy" which can be explained as such: The start of a connection begins with our hands as a small gesture like shaking or holding hands, even a hug can create a bond with someone because it creates familiarity. Getting to know some one, you need familiarity and a good way to do is by touch. When meeting someone new, we usually greet them with a handshake which is an everyday gesture around the world. Therefore, the painting is about physical intimacy or intimate touch. We can break barriers by letting ourselves be vulnerably intimate with the other person. Which is why the primary hands are placed opposite of each other to show that intimate connection they are trying to reach. The seven hands represents the seven days placed around the painting because those 7 days, we can connect with someone new. The colors red, yellow, and blue which are the primary colors create the rest of the colors that are seen around the world through culture, race, and religion. If choose not to break the barrier and connect, we let ourselves be limited throughout our world like the grey hands in the background. By letting ourselves be interconnected, like the primary hands, we let ourselves be open to break the barriers so much of us struggle to do. And by physical intimacy we can have opportunities to learn from one another. Through physical touch, we make connections and break barriers around the world seven days.

This piece is inspired by my Mexican culture. It it represents day of the dead also known as “El Dia de los muertos”. The catrina represents death in the most elegant and less terrifying aspect of the dead.