Students Accepted into Annual Art Exhibition
Five Pioneer art students were accepted into the 2022 Los Gatos ArtNow: Brave New Worlds exhibition.
By Maya Ortiz
Five Pioneer art students were accepted into the 2022 Los Gatos ArtNow: Brave New Worlds exhibition.
By Maya Ortiz
Each year, the NUMU museum in Los Gatos ArtNow show chooses a new exhibition theme for students to submit their artwork to. This year, the theme selected was “Brave New Worlds,” and art from five of Pioneer’s art students was accepted into the exhibition.
The chosen students were juniors Rylee Clack and Minoo Rajai, sophomores Darby Cassidy and Elizabeth Rodda and senior Gael Atriano. Their art was chosen to be in the ArtNow 2022: Brave New Worlds exhibit at NUMU in Los Gatos, from March 25 until May 22. In addition to the art from the five Pioneer students, other student artwork will be displayed from other high schools in Santa Clara County. The exhibit received 580 artwork submissions from 38 high schools, and of those 580 submissions, 79 were selected to represent 26 high schools. There will also be $12,000 in prizes awarded in eight categories: Drawing, Painting, Digital Media, Photography, Video/Animation, Printmaking and Sculpture.
Pioneer art teacher Laurie Kirk’s students submitted their art to the competition as a project for her class, and offered encouragement to a student who was later accepted.
“I have known about it for many years and always tell my students,” Kirk said. “Every student in my AP, special projects, and advanced classes were required to submit to the show. In the case of Darby Cassidy, who is in my beginning class, I had a feeling that a work of art she did in the class would meet the theme of the show, so I suggested she submit to the show as well. I am glad I did.”
Cassidy was not expecting to submit to the art show, but received motivation from her art teacher to submit.
“I did a project for my art class, and in the submission comments, my teacher said that she thought I should submit it to the contest, and during class she told me I got accepted,” said Cassidy. “I was flattered, but I thought I wouldn’t do it. I was kind of worried about it, because I thought my art project had to be perfect. But, I was pretty excited.”
Rodda worked three nights to create the piece using acrylics on a canvas, and was pleasantly surprised at her acceptance.
“My main inspiration is just to have people feel something when they look at my art, regardless of whether or not it was what my intentions were or how I personally feel about it,” said Rodda.
Clack created an all-digital piece that provided a few challenges along the way, and took a total of two weeks to complete.
“Getting the shading right on the Earth was the most difficult, and the explosion part. I wanted the explosion to be clear, and the Earth to stay visible,” said Clack.
The competition provided Rodda a chance to speak up about her views on the current mass extinction and other world problems.
“Our generation has to deal with the fact that we might not get to have a future and as kids there really isn’t much we can realistically do,” said Rodda. “The only way to truly have a ‘Brave New World’ would be to abolish the root core of what caused all these problems in the first place, and that root cause is capitalism.”
The chosen students were juniors Rylee Clack and Minoo Rajai, sophomores Darby Cassidy and Elizabeth Rodda and senior Gael Atriano. Their art was chosen to be in the ArtNow 2022: Brave New Worlds exhibit at NUMU in Los Gatos, from March 25 until May 22. In addition to the art from the five Pioneer students, other student artwork will be displayed from other high schools in Santa Clara County. The exhibit received 580 artwork submissions from 38 high schools, and of those 580 submissions, 79 were selected to represent 26 high schools. There will also be $12,000 in prizes awarded in eight categories: Drawing, Painting, Digital Media, Photography, Video/Animation, Printmaking and Sculpture.
Pioneer art teacher Laurie Kirk’s students submitted their art to the competition as a project for her class, and offered encouragement to a student who was later accepted.
“I have known about it for many years and always tell my students,” Kirk said. “Every student in my AP, special projects, and advanced classes were required to submit to the show. In the case of Darby Cassidy, who is in my beginning class, I had a feeling that a work of art she did in the class would meet the theme of the show, so I suggested she submit to the show as well. I am glad I did.”
Cassidy was not expecting to submit to the art show, but received motivation from her art teacher to submit.
“I did a project for my art class, and in the submission comments, my teacher said that she thought I should submit it to the contest, and during class she told me I got accepted,” said Cassidy. “I was flattered, but I thought I wouldn’t do it. I was kind of worried about it, because I thought my art project had to be perfect. But, I was pretty excited.”
Rodda worked three nights to create the piece using acrylics on a canvas, and was pleasantly surprised at her acceptance.
“My main inspiration is just to have people feel something when they look at my art, regardless of whether or not it was what my intentions were or how I personally feel about it,” said Rodda.
Clack created an all-digital piece that provided a few challenges along the way, and took a total of two weeks to complete.
“Getting the shading right on the Earth was the most difficult, and the explosion part. I wanted the explosion to be clear, and the Earth to stay visible,” said Clack.
The competition provided Rodda a chance to speak up about her views on the current mass extinction and other world problems.
“Our generation has to deal with the fact that we might not get to have a future and as kids there really isn’t much we can realistically do,” said Rodda. “The only way to truly have a ‘Brave New World’ would be to abolish the root core of what caused all these problems in the first place, and that root cause is capitalism.”