We are excited to once again participate in the Crocker Art Museum’s “Self-Portrait” exhibition with 13 other high schools. The Self Portrait Gallery will be on display from April 6 through May 27 and the Artist Reception will be April 23! Congratulations to all of our featured artists, your artwork is phenomenal!

“Girl” Mia Stephens
Artist’s Statement: “I created this piece using a combination of ink, paint, and construction paper. I used brightly colored construction paper to add a whimsical element to an otherwise black and white piece.”

“Imperfect” Katarina Yo
Artist’s Statement: “ Imperfect is primarily composed of clay, acrylic, and wire. I was inspired by the many confident women in my life and their struggle to accept all parts of themselves, even the pieces which society has labeled as flaws. Women, especially during young adulthood, are faced with unrealistic and often demeaning beauty expectations. This sculpture depicts the self-conscious feeling a woman has when her imperfections are slowly torn out so only the acceptable parts remain. Without validation or acknowledgement of her true colors, her real self is left to bleed away. My hope in creating this work is that other young women will be able to recognize how imperfections are important. It is what make us truly and uniquely beautiful.”

“Self-Portrait” Katherine Freitag
Artist’s Statement: “I was inspired by my art teacher, Mrs. Stember, in my sophomore year during my first painting class. She encouraged me to progress in a medium with which I was not originally confident. I now love the creative process of painting with acrylic as I capture the life of my friends and family.”

“Iridescence” Ann Feletto
Artist’s Statement: “By definition, iridescence means lustrous rainbow like play of color caused by differentiate refraction of light waves that tends to change as the angle of view changes. As a senior in high school, college and the future are often on my mind. To me this piece was a lot of fun to make and provided light in my life while I applied to schools. It helped me realize that this whole figuring out college thing really isn’t too bad if you look at it from more than one angle. If you have tunnel vision, you are guaranteed to be let down. If you just take the time to change the angle of your view, you can see the light and positivity in it.”

“Perseverance” Annika Remme
Artist’s Statement: “When I was first drawing this, I was worried about the difficulty of the hair but as I continued, it started to come together. My main focus while drawing this was to make sure the same strength I had imagined was transferred into the eyes. I was amazed by how alive they seemed and was happy with the result. I wanted the mood of the piece to show the patience, power, and perseverance.”

“Emotion” Taylor Ngo
Artist Statement: Traditionally, photographers are meant to capture the essence of a moment or a single time of being. However, I wanted to challenge this notion by depicting motion: something as simple as the turning of a head. I also incorporated stitches to connect the movement so that the piece is fluid. The result of my undertaking is a self-portrait that captures 2 moments in time and combines them, and this is something that a normal photograph can’t do.