Kayli Battel (born 2002) 
Saguaro High School 
Pride Goeth, 2020 
Acrylic on canvas 

I was inspired by both Abbey Messmer and Ana Teresa Fernández, as their works explore underwater perspectives through the acrylic medium. The piece challenges the way that people treat our planet and emphasizes the impact that global warming has on animals, as well as other people. The drowning lion clawing toward survival represents the rising sea levels that continue to threaten lives across the world. My goal is to inspire people to think about their actions and the effects that they indirectly have on the animals in our world, and to emphasize that it is never too late to make the changes that we desperately need to coexist with all life on Earth. 

Yari Dvir (born 2002) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Maiden Voyage, 2020 
Oil on canvas 

Sound Pieces:
“Prologue,” 2020
“Early Summer,” 2020
“Nuance of a Thunderstorm,” 2020
“Maiden Voyage,” 1965 (written by Herbie Hancock)

This piece is an exploration into the unknown. When our surroundings become as disproportionate and messy as they are now, it’s okay to wander through mindlessly—to dive gracefully into the unknown. I find I do my best “wandering” when I experience a combination of the senses. I developed this process with ideas from artists Carolyn Lavender and Ellen Murray-Meissinger. These past months, I’ve been working with ideas of inventive landscape composition. Usually it involves pasting together multiple scenes of mountains, trees, skies, etc. When they come together, they often yield intriguing and moving results. Some flowed from scene to scene seamlessly, while others created jarring, surreal juxtaposition, such as this one. Lavender also inspired me to add familiar “human” elements of everyday life to contrast the unfamiliar scene. The house seemed to be the perfect choice for the human element, as it’s  familiar to most and establishes a clear reference for where we as humans stand in this place. This place, you’ve never seen before. So, by all means, experience a Maiden Voyage. 

Tatum Hennessy (born 2004) 
Saguaro High School 
Pike Save, 2020 
Acrylic on wood 

Each of these three paintings are pictures of me at diving practice. I have been a competitive springboard diver for 11 years and the sport is a huge part of my daily life; therefore, I wanted to make this series to show what diving means to me. I chose these images, in particular, because I think they capture the feeling of what it’s like to fly through the air and land in the deep end after a good dive. When making these pieces, I was inspired by Abbey Messmer’s use of underwater perspective and Ellen Murray-Meissinger’s focus on reflected light. By combining techniques from these two artists, I was able to add a lot of movement and realism to these paintings, as well as a layer of depth that establishes the feeling of being underwater. 

Felina Hans (born 2003) 
Saguaro High School 
Momma’s House, 2020 
Acrylic and collage on wood  

My Visions project, entitled Momma’s House, includes all my mother’s immediate family members, ranging from her great grandma to her little brother. I chose to do acrylic on wood for a new challenge. With the wood, I had an abundance of background space; therefore, I figured I would utilize mixed media, or collaging, to fill the background and follow my original idea of representing their personalities through household objects. The idea for Momma’s House derived from Carolyn Lavender’s workshop focusing on memories, Antionette Cauley’s painting of faces, and Shizu Saldamando’s wooden canvases and mixed media. I also have many nostalgic, sentimental pictures from my mom’s side of the family. My mother is a very important person in my life, and I wanted to showcase that with a masterpiece that revolves around her life. 

Kylie Chan (born 2004) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Metamorphosis, 2020 
Mixed media 

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” — Maya Angelou 

This artwork is a visual representation of change and how this idea can affect all of us. Similar to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly in a state of transformation, in this case butterflies symbolically represent eating disorders. This book helped me get through a hard time in my life and provided me with a form of release. I used Carolyn Lavender’s use of repetition and warm colors in my book and painting to further push my point. I took the butterfly book with me everywhere and painted my personal growth in these lengthy sessions. The butterfly book and I have gone through a metamorphosis together. 

Damian Martinez (born 2003) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Angelology, 2020 
Mixed media 

Growing up Catholic, I was surrounded by religious figures, along with the symbolism of this faith. I find this religious influence as a part of my work, even though I do not practice my faith. For this series, I decided to embrace my religious identity more. I decided to use religious symbolism and bible verses. I find that I am drawn most to angels and Christian angelology and have included these in my series. Ellen Murray-Meissinger is my inspirational artist for this series; I like her watercolor technique on maps. 

Taetum Mote (born 2002) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Learning How to Breath, 2020 
Adobe Animate (90 seconds) 

This piece is a short animated work about a girl who is stuck on a beach but determined to leave. Much of this piece is symbolic and connects to my life, specifically being unsure of how to enter relationships and feeling out of my depth in situations that everyone else seems to be able to navigate with no problem. While the style of my art isn’t directly influenced by artist Antoinette Cauley, many of my themes and messages are connected to my life, in a way similar to how Cauley portrays her own experience in her artwork. Where she feels that she was forced to grow up too fast, my work shows the direct opposite: the feeling that I’ve missed a key lesson in being an adult. 

Geday Sanchez (born 2001) 
New School for the Arts & Academics  
Revitalize, 2020 
Earthenware 

My work is an abstract representation created from interlocking organic ceramic pieces. The cracked texture of the clay is symbolic to the slow progression of decay and the textured attachments propagate the cycle of revitalization. My work is inspired by Emily Ritter’s visual narrative based on the environment. Much like Ritter, I draw my inspiration from nature. 

Shey Elliot (born 2001) 
South Mountain High School 
Bound by Our Word, 2020 
Cyanotype photo print 

My work is about issues of gender inequality and my own struggles to find my voice. As a woman, I see injustices that affect my life unfolding before me each day. I refuse to remain silent. I created these photographs—beginning with digital images—in preparation for the salt print workshop with artist and professor Sama Alshaibi at the University of Arizona School of Art in Tucson. Later, I used the transparencies to create a composite cyanotype inspired by what I learned in a Visions workshop with artist Annie Lopez. 

Clarissa Estrada (born 2004) 
Pinnacle High School  
La Conexión Especial, 2020  
Earthenware with felt and fabric  

This piece was influenced by two artists, Tiffany Bailey and Saskia Jorda. Tiffany Bailey creates amazing ceramics pieces. I used some of the same techniques as hers in building my ceramic piece, which helped it to be stronger and look more professional. Saskia Jorda was an inspiration for my work in her fantastic way of using felt and fabric to show a connection between people. This idea of human connection helped me come up with a way to make something that would show the strong connection I have with my family. This piece is supposed to represent my family and how we all have varying differences but despite all those differences, we will always have this strong connection. These pieces portray members of my family. Creating this piece reminded me of how important my family is to me and no matter what we will always have a special connection. 

Sofia Aguilar (born 2003) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Wealthy Heart, 2020 
Beeswax and oil on wooden panel 

This piece is a reflection on the repetition in working class life and the oppression of the poor. It depicts how unity in numbers can yield power. This work was inspired by riding public transportation routinely and the unity among the working class people who use it every day. The Visions workshop artist Carolyn Lavender’s work inspired the grid made up of one-ride light rail tickets underneath the painting. 

Victoria Munoz (born 2003) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Clouded, 2020 
Clay and acrylic 

As an indigenous woman, I grew up a lot around nature. It is a pretty big part of my culture, and one of my biggest fascinations in nature are clouds. We have these dancers in my culture who dance for rain during cloudy times to nourish the land and crops to make everything healthy. I use clouds in my artwork to represent my state of emotions from a certain time in my life. Those emotions felt like never-ending heaviness and grayness waiting for the rain—waiting for the rain to keep the grass green and to help the crops grow. I am inspired by Saskia Jorda’s artworks and how she uses art to express cultural identity.  

Leo Tirado (born 2004) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Untitled, 2020 
Mixed media on panel 

I enjoy experimenting with color and patterns in my work. The patterns are representational of my life, which is very chaotic at times. I combine these patterns with darker and figurative elements. I used different color schemes in each of the works to make them contrast each other. My work is partially inspired by Antoinette Cauley’s style of shading in her portraits. 

Bhaird Marler (born 2002) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Stories, 2020 
Ceramic mixed media 

When I was younger, I would see people and wonder who they were. I would look at the way people walked, how they talked, and how they looked. I would make up stories about what kind of people they were. I have become fascinated by the stories that make a person, how a jumble of experiences combine to create a unique person with a unique narrative, and how that person’s appearance gives clues to what kind of life they have led. My piece is inspired by Jane Kelsey-Mapel and Ander Zorn, whose work incorporates narrative portraits and abstract imperfection. My piece is a ceramic and wire sculpture with texture, lines, and imperfections that reflect my personality.   

Brooks McCallister (born 2003) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Twelve Dead, 2020 
Ink on illustration board 

I tend to be very influenced by, and therefore inspired by, the things around me. I see forms and absorb concepts from everything and everyone around me. While I work, I watch documentaries, I listen to audiobooks, and I watch movies, picking out details and images and words then transforming them, spinning them together into original ideas. I draw dark and harsh imposing forms, separated by erratic scribbling. Contrast is a main element of design in most of my art, prioritizing visual shock and impactful images. While making this work in particular, I leaned toward darker subject matter, like movies and documentaries about killers and podcasts about cold cases. These things informed the bleak, unfamiliar feeling that I (somewhat) unintentionally infused in the works. I contrasted the predator and the prey, the innocent and the guilty. People were dark and light, grey and charcoal. They were filled with mystery and they were unpredictable. The words I write aren’t so much deeply meaningful as they are to create forms, a way of shading that I devised that might be more visually engaging than tick marks or crosshatching. In my project, I was inspired by the artist Kristin Bauer. She works in two- and-three-dimensional forms, often using colorful, see-through plastic and bold text. In her work, I particularly liked the double meanings of words and her use of text to create compositions. 

Molly Montoya (born 2002) 
Pinnacle High School 
Artist Within Art, 2020 
Clay sculpture 

One of the main things I learned from being in the Visions program was how to look at art and understand it better. Coming to SMoCA to see all the new art installations each month and reading about what the artists had to say about their pieces changed how I saw art completely. When we took a trip to Prescott, the artist Bandhu Scott Dunham mentioned how people often project themselves onto art. This is something I related to and wanted to recreate with my piece. I used techniques from our workshop with Jane Kelsey-Mapel to create my piece. From her, we learned to create realistic looking faces. My piece is about how individuals relate themselves to the art they see. It also touches on self-reflection and how people see art in general. 

Tristan Craig (born 2002) 
New School For The Arts & Academics 
Untitled, 2020 
Oil on panel 

This artwork refers to the repression of traumatic memories and what it means when they linger in the back of someone’s head, slowly destroying their sense of pride over the course of a lifetime. Today, trauma is something that’s most present in many minds throughout my Native community. This piece explores the trauma-induced feeling that something out of your sight is constantly deteriorating. The feeling that what you can’t see should be obvious, but it isn’t. A feeling that could only be expressed through the smoke plumes and the presence of flames on the horizon. The flames that might be burning something close to home, but are too far to tell. I wanted the problem to get more ambiguous the further the flames got, thus the line of humanoid figures that lead back from where you came. By combining symbolism with elements of design and composition, I want to convey one of the reasons why so many of my Native people have become substance abuse and suicide statistics. I was slightly influenced by Carolyn Lavender’s and Shizu Saldamando’s use of realistic rendering in their works. 

Kaylee Garrigan (born 2004) 
Desert Mountain High School  
A Trip with Happiness, 2020 
Archival inkjet print 

I have always taken a deep interest in art, both drawing and a new love for photography. I am inspired by past events in my life and by the environment. Being able to show who I am and what I’m expressing to the world is what my main goal is with my artwork. 

My project is about one of the main topics I am focusing on: happiness. I chose happiness because it is something everyone can relate to and will have different memories of. This art book, inspired by Gina DeGideo’s bookmaking techniques, is my way of sharing my friends’ moments of happiness, and is a way to spread joy amongst others who see it. 

Kina Connor-Ortiz (born 2004) 
New School for the Arts & Academics  
Synthetic Horizon, 2020 
Mixed media 

The effects of trend-setting fashions and textile waste are something I find very compelling. Not covered much in the media, the production and disposal of all textiles are harming our environment. Particularly, polyester fabrics made from oil and plastic, which are non-biodegradable, are imprinted on the environment for many years to come. My artwork is a visual image that speaks to textile waste and its damaging relationship with the environment. The piece is an abstract landscape panel that utilizes fabric and embedded bits of recycled plastics throughout the scene to convey the relationship of the two materials as one. This piece is inspired by Emily Ritter’s artwork and her process of transforming trash into art—art that makes a comment about consumption and its consequences. 

Valerie Villamizar (born 2004) 
Pinnacle High School  
What I Want You To See, 2020 
Mixed media 

This piece covers the topic of the Venezuela crisis. Many people only describe Venezuela by its politics and not the beautiful culture that I recognize and remember it by. My piece shows what I want people to see about Venezuela on the inside, not the outside. The artist who inspired me was Jane Kelsey-Mapel, who inspired me to make a self-portrait out of clay. 

Isabella Riveros (born 2002) 
Saguaro High School 
Not So Private Memories, 2020 
Acrylic on wood panel 

Photos such as these three pieces would have otherwise been lost in memory, but as technology has become more and more ingrained into the everyday lives of teenage high school youth, “documentation” of everyone’s actions are now public to a global scale.  

Each piece depicts a different style of a social media post (all presently trendy)—from the cocky to the candid to the ironically “serious,” with a filter cohesively tying the trio together. The commentary on social media culture using personal figurative images on wood canvas was inspired by the artist Antoinette Cauley. 

Tamia Debus, (born 2002) 
Pinnacle High School 
A Forest for Opa, 2020 
Mixed media 

In this piece, I used many different mediums to convey the relationship between my grandfather and me. Tiffany Bailey’s use of clay in her workshop inspired me to find a way to integrate the B-Mix clay into my project. The soft clay body allowed me to work finely detailed veins onto my heart. My grandfather always believed that our shared DNA connected us first, but due to our shared experiences, our bond has grown stronger. Displayed on the piece are different things he has taught me throughout my life and my summers in Germany. Every decision made to create this piece was inspired by him or something he has said. When coming up with the concept, I called him to figure out exactly what I wanted to do. I asked him questions about his favorite tree (birch), as well as his favorite crystal (quartz and amethyst), which I then displayed to personalize it. I hope that one day he will get to see it.    

Caitlin “Maisie” Hack (born 2001) 
Saguaro High School 
The Holy Saint of Home, 2020  
Mixed media  

My decision to venture into portraiture stemmed largely from learning techniques from Antoinette Cauley and Alejandro Macias, two artists who used unique techniques to put their own spin on a traditional format. I was further inspired by the multi-dimensional mixed media elements Shizu Saldamando includes in her own portraits. This portrait exists as both an ode to domestic arts and a memorial for the centuries of unacknowledged domestic arts. The inclusion of multimedia elements demonstrates part of the range of domestic arts and involves the viewer in the process. 

Karina Sbiera (born 2001) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Preservation, 2020 
3D print and ceramic 

This artwork was inspired by Saskia Jorda’s ideas of personal barriers, human fragility, and the resilient qualities of human life. We often shelter our true selves out of fear of being hurt or judged by those around us. The outer bodice armor represents protection, and the heart represents vulnerability. The intricate open patterns of the bodice show how exposed we truly are despite our efforts to hide our real nature. 

Eike Müssig Contreras (born 2001) 
Saguaro High School  
No Words, 2020 
Oil on wood 

This piece was influenced by the American artist Shizu Saldamando, who portrays diverse works using scenarios where people shape their own world. Due to this, I have decided to replicate her work by drawing my mother as a powerful, strong woman, and using negative space like most of Saldamando’s artworks. The message I want to convey through my painting is to be self-aware of who you are, to not see yourself through the eyes of others, and to own the world you create. 

Joshua Hall (born 2002) 
Pinnacle High School 
Technological Evolution, 2020 
Mixed media 

This piece, to me, represents the two activities in my life that I love the most combined into one magnificent masterpiece: art and video games. The name of this piece is inspired by the different stages—or “evolutions” as I refer to them—of the many technological advances made over the last 70 years or so. This is represented by the base of the piece, which contains many of the parts used to help evolve technology into what we have today. I was inspired to use epoxy resin in my piece after seeing artist Emily Ritter use it in one of her pieces. 

Tyler Crum (born 2003) 
Saguaro High School 
The Aquarium, 2020 
Oil pastel on wood 
 
My artwork shows the way pollution interacts with the environment. The soda cans and macaroni noodles are the trash in the ocean. Their presence destroys the beauty of the home of these turtles. The glass is supposed to create an ocean atmosphere. My work is inspired by Shizu Saldamando, because of her compositions with a single subject exposed on wood, and Alejandro Macias, because of his medium and technique of oil pastels, as well as his social political statements.   

Jaclyn Fishbach (born 2002) 
Desert Mountain High School  
Fetal, 2020 (top) 
Goodbye, 2020 (bottom) 
Salt print 

When I first started photography, I was always drawn to taking photographs with vivid colors and lively imagery. However, I decided I wanted to create more meaningful photographs that would leave people feeling something; therefore, I branched out to the rawer and deeper side of photography. This series of digital photographs depicts my development and journey exploring the different depths and types of pain that individuals face in their everyday lives. What influenced my interest in visually capturing forms of pain is my own chronic pain condition called juvenile fibromyalgia. I recognized that the tender joint pain I experience is not the same as the pain that others around me feel. People experience and handle physical and emotional pain in many different ways. However, pain is a uniting feeling that is part of the shared human experience.   

Lilith Ellis (born 1999) 
Pinnacle High School 
Broken Wounds Heal, 2020 
Mixed media 

These wings represent an emotional background in my life. The left wing shows the strength and bravery on the outside. The right wing shows what most can’t see on the inside: emotionally broken, gone through so much pain. On the left wing is a moon and star that represent my mom. She was always brave. On the right wing is a heart with a name in Japanese. This is my close friend Bo. The heart represents how no matter how broken I was, he held me together through the worst. The artist who inspired me with this piece is Saskia Jorda. 

Camryn Perez (born 2002) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Polar Bear, 2020 
White stoneware 

Animals and environmental health are both very important to me. Emily Ritter’s artworks convey how human interactions with the environment have a devastating impact on animal species and the planet. I am inspired by Ritter’s ideas. My project is about global warming, consumer waste, and the effects they have on polar bears and their habitats. 

Matthew Sostrom (born 2002) 
Desert Mountain High School  
Sandstone, 2020 (top) 
Venus 1 & 2, 2020 (bottom) 
Giclee print 

I’ve always had a great interest in being outdoors and hope to continue exploring, camping, and experiencing all the scenery in Arizona and elsewhere. Inspired by the work of Mark Klett, my piece looks at Arizona’s landscape as it changes over a short time. 

Rachel Woosley (born 2003) 
New School for the Arts & Academics 
Desolatum, 2020 
Pins, paint, and stuffed bear 

My piece features a stuffed bear embedded with pins poking through the hollow form of the bear. The outside of the object creates a barrier, suggesting “Stay away; don’t touch,” while the inside reveals the essence of candy-coated pinheads inviting you to come closer. Seeing both of these interactions in a cluster at the same time shines light on how many times we push others away and then offer sweet apologies to bring them back to us. This artwork was inspired by Saskia Jordà and her ideas about one’s place in a community and personal space. 

Adam Wilson (born 2002) 
Desert Mountain High School  
Flight, 2020 
Salt print 

I was intrigued by the salt printing technique when we visited the University of Arizona School of Art in Tucson. The monochromatic sepia colors added a rich, antique feel to our photos, and I wanted to see if I could replicate that effect with some others of mine. This printing technique seemed especially well-suited to the landscapes I like to photograph, along with the fine detail images I like to capture on my adventures. 

Madeline McClary (born 2002) 
New School for the Arts & Academics  
Extending the Function, 2020 
Felt with ceramics  

I initially took ceramics class because I have an attraction to art that is functional. A home is filled with functional objects; there is no reason they can’t be inspiring and beautiful while also being useful. Certain pieces in this series sit outside of the ordinary; we normally think of ceramic bowls for food and water or for potting plants. With the coiled felt rim, I am merging two very different materials together into a form that is both sturdy and softer than you expect. The coiled felt was inspired by Saskia Jorda and her exploration of using art as an extension of the self. The coiled felt rims extend the pieces, simultaneously adding to the beauty and subtracting from the function.  

Jill Pond (born 2002) 
Saguaro High School 
Silence Society, 2020 
Mixed media  

The person who inspired this piece was Kristin Bauer and the way her vinyl words give people deeper meaning. This piece is meant to show the ways society strangles people to the point of not being themselves anymore. I chose to do this piece on raw wood because I wanted it to represent the raw person you start out as. The watercolor words, inspired by Bauer’s vinyl, on top of the wood show how society plants these ideas in people’s mind of what they’re supposed to be, taking away from that raw, genuine human. The body and head on the painting represents the beauty and body image that society expects you to have, and the snake is society itself, forcing the body to have this image by strangling it. I want people to realize and know that society should not take advantage like this, and we shouldn’t have to change ourselves to be accepted. 

Sebastian Stallone (born 2004) 
Pinnacle High School 
Wonderopolis, 2020 
Mixed media 

When I was a child, I loved to look at pictures of animals in books. This piece symbolizes my love for books and animals. Wonderopolis means that animals can read. I was very inspired by the Visions workshop artist Emily Ritter, who worked with us on fusing upcycled plastic, and she also worked with resin in her work.