Media Arts ²⁰²¹

The Colors of CultureIllustrationCheyenne McBaneAge: 14

My piece advocates equality and bringing attention to the need for unity and change, and that even if we don’t recognize it the vibrancy of cultural acceptance, color and social bonding shapes us and how we view others. If it didn’t exist, we would live drolly and the world would mull in just one shade.

Walking With the HousespodcastPablo RodriguezAge: 16

During the first few months of quarantine I found a new exercise and hobby, walking around my neighborhood. I had lived in my lived in my neighborhood my entire life but I had never seen much of it since I would always just drive to and from my house without seeing much of the neighborhood. Once I started walking, I got to see and experience my neighborhood in a way I'd never seen before. In this podcast I talk mainly about one house that stood out to me and why it stood out.

Dentist vs. PandemicphotographySimar ChandiAge: 16

During the pandemic, every person in the medical field had to look at their life from a new perspective and adjust to a life that they are not used to. A life constantly flooding with thoughts whether they may have gotten COVID-19 from working on a patient. In this photo, a dentist suits up in adequate protective gear before working on a patient. In the subject's eyes, you can see the stress that comes with being in the medical field during the pandemic.

Every grain countsStop Motion VideoKaya AndreassenAge: 16

The purpose of my video is to show others the perspective of those who suffer from hunger everyday. In my video, I showed two different lifestyles. One person has food on their table, while the other is homeless and without food. I included someone who is homeless because poverty generally results in hunger. Through my stop motion video, I hope I can show a new perspective about the effects of world hunger.

IsolationVideoDaniel CamposAge: 17

My short is a story about isolation. It's about the days that trickled by like months and slowly washed away what we considered to be ourselves and replaced them with somebody different, somebody who felt alone and afraid. For the people that couldn’t stand the silence, there was music. For the people that needed to hear the voice of another, a cheap speaker would likely be all they got. We must remind ourselves of the hard times that we all endured, being trapped within our own walls, within our own heads, and without an escape. We need to remember the rapturous feeling of finally holding the hand of somebody that you so dearly missed. Remember the hardships so we can all look back and be proud of how much we've grown. Each and every one of us has had our old selves washed away by the soap of silence. Now, ask yourself, who have you become? Who have you chosen to reform into?

Hispanic HeritagephotographyLaritza FernandezAge: 17

My photo illustrates the acceptance and confidence of hispanic culture because me and my family aren't afraid to hide it. I love expressing myself and my culture as I've reflected over time.

Just Some Rocks and A DudePhotographyCici YangAge: 15

The previous years has all been virtual. My entire family had to sit in front of a screen and avoid the outside world because we wanted to stay safe during difficult and sick times, until earlier this year, the virus finally started to slow down and my family took this opportunity to go do some fun outdoor activities. After all, we did gain some weight during quarantine. My family went to different national parks this summer, to list a few: Yellowstone Park, The Grand Canyon and Banff in Canada. This picture was taken when my younger brother climbed on top of rocks to get a better view of the Grand Canyon. This relates to the theme, New Perspectives because after COVID hit, we have look at our screens in one way, but after going outside and exploring, you get to see different views of one thing. Some people see forests as just nature, but after going to these parks for a week without internet, I see forests as homes to many living creatures and a great hiking spot. I see a river as an interesting spot to observe the wildlife interact with it. My brother is 11 years old and I have never seen him so engaged and fascinated with nature related things. He has always thought it was stupid and he would prefer to be inside playing Roblox. I capture this heartwarming moment and i thought this was the definition of new perspectives.

Why?Digital Katherine TaylorAge: 14

This piece represents all the people that have gone through sexual violence or assault. I have never experienced sexual violence, but I do know how it feels trying to tell someone to stop and they didn’t. The teacher watched though it was just horse play because I was laughing. I was laughing because I was scared. I wanted it to stop. The person was a girl so it makes it ‘not as bad’. She was my friend. I was 10 and this was not the first time. To everyone who has been through some kind of assault or abuse: man, women, or gender non conforming. Young or old. I believe you, you are strong, it wasn’t your fault.

OstracismPhotographyFabiana EspinozaAge: 17

The photograph serves as a metaphor for society's maltreatment of homeless people. The two men in the photo are  caged by an invisible square created by the building and light post; for me, this represents our government's treatment of homeless people living on the streets; we isolate them and move them from place to place so that their camp sites and homes under bridges do not "ruin" the city's aesthetic, They are found in this social limbo, where they are regarded almost as nuisances to our civilians and a source of filth on our streets.

To Those Who We LostPhotographyRaven CarrollAge: 16

The Black lives matter protest was one of the biggest social activist movements this summer I made a choice to have people of different races to write the names of people who where murdered because of police brutality on their fist to show unity and solidarity.

Free and Ready to FlyphotographyAnna VaquiaxAge: 15

During the lockdown I started to focus on myself and nature more. I started taking long walks with my dad to get out of the house and through that I gained a new appreciation for nature. Not only was I benefitting my health, but I also learned a lot about the landscape of my neighborhood and with time the deer and dogs we passed no longer ran away or barked at me. I learned a lot about animals' instincts this way. I met new people as we ran into each other often. I started to realize things I never noticed before and took for granted just through nature. I think during the first few months of the pandemic many people found peace in nature as well, which led to me growing my mindset completely. For my picture I wanted something fully natural to display that message of beauty and tranquility. The butterfly was meant to depict the process of metamorphosis and transformation. My view of the world and nature in particular transformed during this pandemic. Its wings closed represent rest and reflection, which I learned through all my time outdoors and was much of what I spent doing during the time. The dark grass in contrast with the light ground symbolized finding the light in what seemed to be dark and looking for the best. And the clean lines, balance, and simplicity represents how stepping away and having a new view can change everything.

The border between life and deathvideo gameJames LeeAge: 17

This piece portrays the dangers Illegal Mexican immigrants face while attempting to cross the U.S Mexican border in order to give the next generation a better future. However it is told from the perspective of a lost soul crossing over too the land of the living for day of the dead.

Corn mamaDigitalSofi ZapateroAge: 17

New experiences, growth, even when in isolated sanctuary. This piece is about taking my experiences, memories, and environments, and using them to grow into a soon adult. I am learning to take my time with everything, and that I am in control on how fast I grow and how I apply my lessons in the real world. Patient is the night under the harvest moon- I gather myself into a self fulfilling harvest now that I have started to grow!

ConfinedphotographyPayton CunninghamAge: 17

This is my environmental self portrait I took during quarantine. The concept was to capture what my room or space looked like when my mental and physical health got worse or decreased during covid. There was no more structure to my daily life: my sports got canceled, we went online for school, and I did not see my friends or family. I stayed in my room for majority of quarantine. It got to the point where I did not shower, I would go long periods of time eating one small meal a day, I couldn't clean my room, and I lost all motivation to do school work. Looking back at this picture I took, I realized how much my mindset has grown. To see where I was mentally and physically about two years ago compared to now, I am shocked and speechless to say the least. my mindset has changed because I can now appreciate the bad and good times, while being able to learn something about myself each time. I still have a lot of learning to do about myself and I hope my mindset and my experiences continue to grow as I get older.

A beautiful lifeDigital/ illustrationCarolina CarrizalesAge: 17

In my piece I wanted to represent my Mexican culture and display one of my favorite holidays. Dia de los muertos is a beautiful celebration filled with love, remembrance, and culture. It’s full of color, music, dancing, flowers and I wanted to draw Mexican culture in a beautiful light.

CloudyDigital ArtIsabella PedrazaAge: 14

I drew this when I was in my feelings during quarantine

New Generation, Same SituationphotographyAndora ZotighAge: 14

My photo relates to the theme of Social Activism by representing the racial and economic injustice that minorities face. Now a days the homeless population gets younger and younger due to lack of funds and support from the government. Everyday, citizens of power and wealth walk by and ignore those in need of not only money, but love and hope. This photo calls for the need for the people to help their brothers and sisters in times of hardship such as during this pandemic.

Transplant In PlaceAudio expository/spoken wordMadeline Valdéz ClarkAge: 17

An amateur explanation of the mundane obsservations during an isolating time, reserving an evening for picking out what makes your space (in a new era) a nostalgic venture and how that repetitive nature of your exploration of that space can bring small elations.

ConfinementDigital illustrationNatalie GarciaAge: 16

During this pandemic, I learned many things, and I was even able to grow as a person. I wanted to portray this in my art which is why I ended up making this piece. In this artwork, I wanted to portray the frustration and isolation that I faced throughout the pandemic. I saw a decline in my mental health during quarantine due to the lack of socialization, alongside the distress caused by the longing I had for any sort of normalcy. Although I faced hardship, I found my mindset grew throughout this past year. This painting also has another important part to it, and that is the growth that came from the pandemic since in retrospect, the lessons I learned have had great value. I saw myself enjoying the little things in life, which I had lacked to do back then. I learned that everything I had in my life was worth being thankful for since I could never know if that would be present in my future. I also learned to be more optimistic, and I saw myself having more hope and excitement for the path ahead. I illustrated these past few points in my drawing through the bright light source. I wanted to show how even in a dark situation there is still hope and there is value even in the lessons learned. In the end, this drawing shows that the same way light can illuminate and bring clarity to a dark room, The lessons and hope I gained made quarantine brighter.