LONG ISLAND'S BEST 2023
Alden Kisner, Cold Spring Harbor High School / Huntington Fine Arts Student
Matt Klimek, Chaminade High School
Sophie Kwon, St. Mary’s High School
Ava Lerner, Northport High School
Melisa Li, Paul D. Schreiber High School
Victoria Libert, Patchogue-Medford High School
Anna Limb, Manhasset High School
Parker Lyon, Connetquot High School
Grace Maldonado, Oyster Bay High School
Larissa Mallen, Syosset High School
Grace Marazzo, Division Avenue High School - Heckscher Achievement Award
Natalia Juleanne Monsale, Glen Cove High School
Abigail Montes, Division Avenue High School - Virtual Visitors Choice Award
JiSeung Moon, Shoreham Wading River High School
Katie Morton, Smithtown Christian School - Joseph Mack Achievement Award
Naomy Mukai, East Islip High School
Ava Muntner, Great Neck North High School
Grace Nah, William A. Shine Great Neck South High School
- FIRST PLACE, Celebrate Achievement Best In Show
Monica Ortiz, Uniondale High School
Willow Pomisel, Smithtown High School East
Kayte Ramirez, Valley Stream South High School
Sebastian Ramirez, Huntington HS - Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Allison Rich, Islip High School
Minami Rodger, John F. Kennedy High School - Cozza Family Photography Award
Sophia Rose, Harborfields High School
- SECOND PLACE, Judith Sposato Memorial Prize
Tiffany Sambhu, Valley Stream Central High School
Lauren Schilling, Amityville Memorial High School
Maia Schnaider, Half Hollow Hills HS West
- Andrew Presberg Promising Young Artist Award / Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Cameron Seviroli, Waldorf School of Garden City
Sawyer Snowden, Commack High School
Alyssa Spano, Half Hollow Hills High School West
Bhavani Sriram, Half Hollow Hills High School East
Michael Struzinski, Smithtown High School West
Nora Sweeney-Gladen, Harborfields High School
Ashlyn Thitibordin, Jericho Senior High School
Sophia Tine, Huntington High School - Fred Pilkington Award of Achievement
Samantha Urmaza, Harborfields High School
Kal Vasconez, South Side High School - Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Sarah Wilder, Valley Stream North High School
Siting Xiao, General Douglas MacArthur High School
Kerry Yeung, Half Hollow Hills High School East
Venus Yu, William A. Shine Great Neck South High School
- Donald G. Horn, Jr. Scholarship Award
Josie Zaccoli, Oceanside High School
Ellia Zhang, Herricks High School
- Honorable Mention / Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Natalie Zhou, Herricks High School - Heckscher Achievement Award
Alexandra Zlotnikov, Kings Park High School / Huntington Fine Arts Student
Jessica Arsenicos I Love You More
Mixed media (colored pencil, acrylic, and ink on illustration board)
Half Hollow Hills High School West
Grade: 12, Art Teachers: Jennifer Ievolo & Amanda Montiglio
When I first saw Robert Carter’s Mama Taught Me Piano and Much More, I was inspired to create an artwork of my grandmother. Prompted by Carter’s use of multiple mediums, I combined acrylic, colored pencil, and ink on an illustration board. I chose to include the wooden furniture seen in my grandmother’s dining room, as I was motivated by Carter’s own use of wood in his piece. My artwork represents my grandmother’s joy at her 66th birthday, the year that my mother was pregnant with me. My grandmother’s slight smile is a nod to the positive impact that she will have on my life in the years to come. I Love You More is a message to my grandmother and a reflection of my gratefulness for all that she has done for me.
Inspiration artwork: Robert Carter, Mama Taught Me Piano and Much More, 2007, Mixed media
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Dyana Augustin
Something Old in Tokyo
Mixed media (acrylic, colored pencil, ink, paper collage in resin)
Huntington High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Kristin Singer
I drew inspiration from Takashi Murakami’s Of Chinese Lions, Peonies, Skulls, and Fountains. Murakami’s vibrant and dynamic style blends traditional Japanese motifs with images from contemporary pop culture. In my work, I wanted to emulate Murakami’s blending of the old with the new. A traditional Japanese dojo serves as the setting of my artwork. Over my painting, I integrated both time-honored and modern Japanese imagery such as Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa and Sensor manga illustrations by my favorite illustrator and writer, Junji Ito. Resin was poured over the finished work to infuse its elements and showcase the union of traditional and contemporary.
Inspiration artwork:
Takashi Murakami, Of Chinese Lions, Peonies, Skulls, and Fountains, 2012, Lithograph From the exhibition: Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Bayla Axelrod
Sick day, Pencil
Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Suzy Libin
I was inspired by the unassuming atmospheric quality of Pat Ralph’s painting, The Visit Home. While there is no extraordinary action happening in the piece, the relaxed figure feels extremely relatable, and has a certain intrigue. This can lead the viewer to wonder about his thoughts or feelings as he rests in this position. Perhaps he is tired, relaxing, or sick. My drawing features a girl who is feeling under the weather, shown by how she is blowing her nose while being bundled up - a relatable scene which we all have experienced.
Inspiration artwork:
Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983, Oil on vellum
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Claire Baek
For the Public, Watercolor, acrylic and pen on paper
W. T. Clarke High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Marlena Dentrone
I was inspired by Tom Mason’s Rearwindow, specifically how the windows revealed the lives of the people inside the apartments. The idea of being watched in one’s private space really resonated with me. I wanted to convey the idea of being watched and judged by strangers. I have struggled with the thought of being scrutinized by people and do my best to remain unphased by judgment. To specifically highlight that idea, I decided to use silhouettes to emphasize the fact that each individual in the window was essentially faceless and we, the viewers, would have to make our own assumptions on their lives, reinforcing the idea of forming preconceived perceptions of strangers.
Inspiration artwork: Tom Mason, Rearwindow, 2020, Oil on linen
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Danielle Berkowitz
Sunday at the Flea Market, Photograph (dark room)
John F. Kennedy High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Sarah Ritchie
Susan Kozodoy Silkowitz inspired me with her photographs of New York City street life. What drew me to her work were the intriguing stories she was able to exhibit. Her photos challenged me to capture similar dynamics while exploring the diverse people in New York City. Often on the weekends, my friends and I like to explore different parts of the city, and I’m always intrigued by its busy nature and the people that live there. I find myself people-watching, and realizing how similar people are, despite their evident differences. To display this, I wanted to capture the individuals’ interactions at a flea market. When enlarging the film in the darkroom, I decided to add contrast to the photo to add more texture and drama to the subjects, emphasizing them against the busy flea market backdrop. When you examine each person in the photo, you notice their individualism and uniqueness.
Inspiration artwork:
Susan Kozodoy Silkowitz, Man at Penn, 2022, Digital photography, inkjet archival print
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Amelia Bhairo
uncertainty, Watercolor and ink on canvas
West Hempstead High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Cassie Ross-Dinin
I was inspired by Steve Palumbo’s painting Black Swan. Regarding the piece, he wrote, “Lines, shape, and form, used as symbols or tools of architecture and design, have informed our art since the beginning of time.” This thoughtful idea influenced me to produce my own piece that explores movement and linework to express emotion. I used a variety of lines that move across the page to create an uncertain notion. Overlapping various greens and yellows within the lines assist the feeling of movement throughout my artwork.
Inspiration artwork: Steve Palumbo, Black Swan, 2022, Oil on canvas
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Ricardo Canales
Pointless, Mixed media
W. T. Clarke High School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Jeannene Arcuri
My piece was inspired by It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine. by Alisa Shea. In this watercolor, as the title suggests, things can appear fine on the outside while chaos wreaks havoc on the inside. This contrast was what inspired me to create my piece. Like Alisa Shea, I wanted to create a work of art where objects expressed a story. Pointless shows an array of game pieces organized in the color scheme of black and white. The real contrast of my piece is centered around how life is like a game, how there are always winners and losers, and how this endless cycle is overall pointless. One side is always filled to the brim, while the other stays in an empty space. One side may be the few that are powerful, while the other is made up of the unlucky. I arranged dice, poker chips, dominoes, and faceless playing cards and symbols and incorporated a chessboard to reinforce these ideas. The mass number of dots, or points, represent how bad these games really are. They also help tie in the “pointlessness” of these games with the title of the work.
Inspiration artwork:
Alisa Shea, It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine., 2021, Transparent watercolor
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Binge-Watcher, Mixed media
Bayport-Blue Point High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Frank Salino
Neil Leinwohl’s Rule Followers Protected by Social Privilege, inspired a sense of anxiety in me. His work reminded me of postmodernist horror, a look at past ideas used to create a feeling of uneasiness that certain indie films use. Normal concepts and objects that were commonly used in the past are utilized in an attempt to disturb the viewer. In my sculpture, I created a postmodernist aesthetic with the inclusion of a vintage TV head. I sculpted a humanoid-esque figure - something vaguely resembling the human form that allows the viewer to imagine countless ways in which this creature could interact with the world.
Achievement Award
Inspiration artwork: Neil Leinwohl, Rule Followers Protected by Social Privilege, 2021, Digital From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Joseph Carrabis
Katherine Castillo
Imbalance., Mixed media
Bay Shore High School, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Margaret Schultz
Despina Zografos’s artwork communicates cherished moments in her life through patterns and paper. In my response to Zografos, I took inspiration from the cluster of directional lines in her work. I was reminded of transmission towers and cables by the way the paper cutouts line up. I imagined being encircled in rows of overhead electrical towers, looking up to see the bases of the towers overlapping with each other. The patterns of lines you see in this overlapping are what Zografos’s artwork looks like to me. This led me to think about the internet and the digital age we live in today. Technology such as smartphones, tablets, and computers have been around since I was a child. I got my first phone around the start of middle school and a tablet even earlier. Through my self-portrait, I hope to convey the tension between how phones have advanced and hindered society, as well as myself, from a personal perspective. Zografos’s works often feature organic designs to contrast with her geometric patterns. In Strolleroptera - It is very simple to be happy but it is very difficult to be simple, these organic shapes are the butterfly wings. Inspired by these unique styles, I designed some of my own. On the sides of the frame, the background of my work is composed of two types of frames, a geometric/digital and a nature/traditional frame. These two types are over one another to create contrast. Organic shapes have been transformed into triangles throughout my work - highlighting the digitalization in contemporary life and objects.
Inspiration artwork:
Despina Zografos, Strolleroptera - It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple, 2022, Two layers of hand cut paper, punctured text, foam board, chip board
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Lucas Ceraso
John, Oil on canvas
Huntington Fine Arts
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Lenore Hanson
The subject of my piece is John, who is my favorite model to draw. His age gives him more personality and feeling because of the senior features of his face and body. Often when drawing John, I am reminded that with age comes wisdom and personality, as well as fragility. At a first glance, it may seem as though Do Ho Suh’s Staircase only inspired me to experiment with a blue color palette. In addition, my intention was to express the delicacy of Do Ho Suh’s piece. In the smaller, careful details, such as the face and hands, the fragile nature of aging is conveyed. The movement and energy encapsulated by the swirled and jumbled thread inspired the chaotic brush strokes in parts of the background and lower body. Do Ho Suh’s message that home is conjured through memories relates to my message that with age, the memories of one’s life are on display on our physical bodies through wrinkles and scars.
Inspiration artwork:
Do Ho Suh, Staircase, 2013, Thread, cotton, methylcellulose
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Julia Chan
It’s Gonna Get Better, Mixed media
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Megan Cashman
The work, It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine., reminds me of how inner chaos versus performed flawlessness can be an overlooked duality. I, along with my peers, are at an age where it is necessary to manage the mounting pressures of our academics, personal lives, future preparations, and so on. To stay on top of it all feels almost impossible. Shea’s painting asserts how even if someone else’s outward appearance suggests stability, their reality may be entirely different. My work, It’s Gonna Get Better, is a portrayal of my endeavors, but more importantly, my response to hitting rock bottom. Having to face so much discord while maintaining composure is only a portion of the underlying connection. While the impact is depicted in the clutter of my environment— the trivial projects and overcrowded workspace— my expression is one of acceptance and focus instead of frustration. Where Shea’s work is the result of the struggle, mine is the attempt at reassembling the loose and tangled threads into a quilt that is whole, albeit messy. From a glance, it’s evident that the quilt spilling out of the canvas is highly flawed, held together by uneven stitching and mismatched materials. Resourcefulness leaves no room for perfection: such is the product of deadline crunches and many sleepless nights. Conventionally, it is expected of the sufferer to remain stoic as they push through their problems. This manifestation of my struggles, however unpresentable, is on full display. The struggle to persevere is constant. With a broken sewing machine, I assemble my quilt manually, stitch by stitch.
Third Place, The Hadley Prize
Huntington Fine Arts Honorable Mention
Inspiration artwork:
Alisa Shea, It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine. 2021, Transparent watercolor
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Christopher Chasse Hernandez
The Broken Scars, Ceramic Westbury High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Michelle Perez
After viewing all the pieces on exhibit, I was drawn to Lauren Skelly Bailey’s abstract ceramic piece. Her use of colors, shape and texture drew me right in. I used her piece Wards Up for inspiration when creating my abstract ceramic vessel. Her use of interesting texture inspired me to let go of making everything perfectly shaped and smoothed. The chipped walls on The Broken Scars represent the hardships I’ve endured and pushed through in my life. Though the scars are still there, they are beautiful and make me unique. The colors represent my different emotions. It is real. It is raw. It is not perfect, just like humanity.
Inspiration artwork: Lauren Skelly Bailey, Wards Up, 2021
Glazed ceramics, pigments
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Claire Chen
Sweet Turmoil, Acrylic on canvas and white cloth backdrop
Jericho Senior High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Tara Pillich
I decided to choose Alisa Shea’s It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine., because I loved how she painted common objects that can be found in most people’s daily lives to portray a message that many can resonate with. I was inspired by that message so I decided to incorporate a similar theme into my own piece. Using black thread and a giant piece of white cloth that I painted black, I created a chaotic and dark background in contrast to the self portrait I painted on the canvas in front. With a seemingly outwardly peaceful and content appearance I painted myself enjoying ice cream. I wanted to depict how despite appearing calm, I actually feel weighed down by the feelings of stress and anxiety in my day to day life from expectations of others and my own responsibilities.
Inspiration artwork: Alisa Shea, It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine. 2021, Transparent watercolor From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Beauty in Pain, Colored pencil
New Hyde Park Memorial High School, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Danielle Livoti
Eileen Palmer explains in her written statement that she tends to make art that is “brightly colored” and “shiny” to grab the audience’s attention. While she has their attention, the deeper meaning behind the piece is revealed. She states that although her time during quarantine was stressful, she was grateful to have the opportunity to be surrounded by nature; she looked on the bright side. My piece was inspired by the same sequence of events: capture the audience’s attention through color and composition and then let the deeper meaning shine through. I believe that pain, although uncomfortable, is not a fruitless experience. Whether we experience negative or positive emotions, we should be able to find the beauty in it all and learn how to grow from it. The capacity for humans to experience emotion is a beautiful thing that shouldn’t be stigmatized; it’s what makes us human. Being able to express any and all emotions is an important step in the process of healing. I strove to capture the depth of my subject matter while integrating striking colors. I created a more closed in composition to allude to feelings of intimacy during a moment of vulnerability.
Inspiration artwork:
Eileen W. Palmer, Just Breathe, 2021, Mixed media assemblage collage
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Isabella Chu
Natalie Chudecki
Lost, Watercolor on paper
West Islip High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Linda Marino
Looking into the eyes of Karl Bourke’s Spanish Poet: Portrait of Sara Martínez Navarro, I felt a sense of loneliness and concern. These are the same emotions I tried to achieve in my painting, Lost. Are memories taking over them? Are they lost in some mental trance? Are they wondering about the future? The past? Longing or reminiscing? Just by looking at the work, no one knows, but the feeling of deep withdrawn emotion, millions of miles away, is felt. We have all experienced this before, I definitely had. In my painting, like Bourke’s, the messy, unkempt hair drooping down their faces is slipping into their eyes, yet it does not seem to bother them. Something is suffocating their mind. Thoughts. I pulled out the various warm and cool tones in the face as Karl Bourke did in his work and applied them with loose brush strokes. I wanted to show every detail and shadow in the face. My painting illustrates how internal thoughts are different for everyone, but can still be as intense or peaceful. Both figures are not facing entirely forward. Whether it is their head, eyes, or body, something is turned away. This avoidance of what is in front of them signifies how our thoughts do not entirely face forward either. No matter what, our mind is complicated and never set in one position. It roams. Our thoughts also prevent us from being in the direct moment –‘facing forward’. No matter how young or old, our minds voyage far away, wandering somewhere, leaving our bodies motionless. Thoughts take over.
Inspiration artwork:
Karl Bourke, Spanish Poet: Portrait of Sara Martínez Navarro, 2020, Oil on linen
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Prisha Dass
13 Mayhem Lane
Mixed media (foam board, watercolor, collage, balsa wood, cardstock, aluminum foil, marker, acrylic paint)
Hicksville High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Craig Mateyunas
While exploring the Long Island Biennial, I fell in love with Alisa Shea’s piece It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine. I was inspired by the sense of chaos surrounded by calming colors, neatly wound spools of thread being juxtaposed with a pin cushion that is holding the mess of past events together with pins and tightly wound threads. Interpreting this same unique message was crucial for me. I wanted to capture how there is more to what meets the eye, making the viewer slow down and truly look into why an artist is creating such a piece. I have created a three-dimensional space to allow viewers an opportunity of finding details that would not have been possible in a two-dimensional work of art. Beginning with the exterior, I painted the house with watercolor giving it a sense of normalcy, making it seem like nothing is wrong. When the viewer folds back each window and peers inside, scenes of water overflowing bathtubs and sinks, clothes and hangers splayed across the laundry, and bedrooms with broken frames and shelves. I have created the interior by piecing together clay, wood beams, and other materials. The interior is the structure that is hidden, and the viewer finds the broken and abandoned part of this seemingly normal house. With my piece, I want the viewer to understand the importance of taking the time to really look at what they see. When one spends more time with someone or something, the more they can see and understand.
Inspiration artwork:
Alisa Shea, It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine. 2021, Transparent watercolor
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Madeline Day
Complex, Acrylic on canvas
Bellport High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Devin Auricchio
For my inspiration, I chose the piece Rearwindow by Tom Mason. I was drawn to the piece because the viewer peers into the private lives of different people in action from the outside. This inspired me to create a dollhouse-like layout. With my composition, not only are we viewing the characters from the outside, we might even control or interact with them. In my art, I like to use surreal imagery to play on the feeling of unease in a familiar environment. In this piece, I used several cat inspired subjects partaking in “human” activities to give a sense of lightheartedness to the surreal. I added a sense of unease by painting an eye and hand peering into one of the rooms, as well as through the strong lighting element found in the inspiration piece. The human figure is haloed by a strong backlight, which drives the emotional impact of his confusion amidst the unfamiliar and surrealistic surroundings. The original also showcases surrealism - albeit on the more “real” side - to bring attention to the figures rather than its surroundings. While the figures and the surroundings are fully rendered individually, the way that they are arranged together is illogical. My “real” environments and activities paired with my surreal anthropomorphic characters create a duality where there is something off about what seems to be a familiar scene.
Inspiration artwork:
Tom Mason, Rearwindow, 2020, Oil on linen
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Ava DeAngelis
A Pearl, Cut paper
Oyster Bay High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Maria Randazzo
John Cino’s wooden sculpture, Writhe, takes cherrywood to a whole new level through the smooth yet complex meanders perched upon a sapele base just below. Viewing the numerous twists and turns, it presented the struggle and discomfort throughout his piece as it climbs higher and higher. In my paper theater, A Pearl, I strived to capture such themes through a somber body - contorted, flexed, and exposed. I felt drawn to create something based on a 3-D piece in order to push myself out of my comfort zone. I chose to incorporate 3-D aspects, working in cut, layered papers using an exacto-knife.
Honorable Mention
Inspiration artwork: John Cino, Writhe, 2020, Carved cherrywood on sapele base
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Daniella Dell’Aquila
Welcome, Class of 2028, Oil on layered canvas Manhasset High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Lori Oldaker
I was drawn to Edward Acosta’s painting, Lost on an Island. What impressed me most was the power of the piece, with the rhythmic movement and bold geometric shapes of bright color. Despite the title of the piece, he still captured a serene sense of beauty. Researching the artist, I learned that he was depicting his loneliness after moving to Long Island, a complete 180 degree turn from the city where he used to live. He had to adjust to his new surroundings and accept his new home. My goal was to create the same sense of vastness, but also to add a little fear of the unknown, as the basking shark doesn’t traditionally eat fish, but is a scary image nonetheless. I used a similar color scheme in the blues and oranges, which also created a nice contrast between the fish and everything else. Just as Acosta’s point of view was of the lone figure, my point of view is of the small fish. I hope the viewer might gather that my painting is about being a small fish in a big pond, but it takes the title, Welcome, Class of 2028, to solidify that it is about my apprehensiveness to leave high school. College will be full of people from every walk of life, with a diversity of cultures totally unlike mine. Could a goldfish that has lived in a bowl her whole life assimilate and even thrive in the ocean? I don’t know. As I begin to enter my new world full of unknowns, I am both excited by the thought of new experiences and terrified.
Inspiration artwork:
Edward Acosta, Lost on an Island, 2022, Acrylic, charcoal on canvas
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Emily DeRosa
With A Little Help From Our Friends, Acrylic on canvas
East Meadow High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Brian O’Neill
I have always had a difficult time when it comes to handling my emotions. I understand that our emotions allow us as people to be directed through life and uniquely express ourselves, but I felt like I could not handle them correctly. The act of feeling creates our happiest and saddest moments. The complexity of our emotions can be beautiful, but sometimes overwhelming. I always thought “Is it better to feel something or to feel nothing at all”?
Understanding my emotions was a lonely feeling, but the company of friendships gave me a sense of comfort. My connections with others allowed me to grow and learn about myself. I was inspired by Kayla Moz and her piece The One I Lost, The One I Hold because of her depiction of grief and regrowth from loss. I used the concept of plants and yarn to show an act of regrowth through connections. The wire serves as a way of reflecting on oneself because when looked at in the light it shines.
Inspiration artwork: Kayla Moz, The one I Lost, The one I Hold, 2022, Plaster, acrylic paint, dirt, aloe
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Huntington Fine Arts Honorable Mention
Lily DiBenedetto
Coming Clean, Digital art
Massapequa High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Paul Leone
I was inspired to create my piece based on Karl Bourke’s Casting Nostalgia: Portrait of Evelyn Cruise because of the way it incorporated elements that appeared unfinished into a finished piece. Something I found very intriguing was the way he painted the head of the portrait with apparent construction lines visible, while still appearing purposeful. I wanted to incorporate an “unfinished” look into my piece in a different way. I thought it would be interesting to make a portrait in which the subject was building itself out of different materials. I wanted my portrait to look as though the subject had a mind of its own, and was going against the wishes of the artist when choosing how it looked.
Inspiration artwork: Karl Bourke, Casting Nostalgia: Portrait of Evelyn Cruise, 2022, Oil on linen
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Eva Diesso
A Moment in Time, Acrylic on canvas
Islip High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Laura Vogelsberg
Waiting on a Call from You by Paul Mele inspired me to create A Moment in Time because of the antique feeling of all the arranged objects in the photograph. The gold details on the lamp inspired me to look for a reflective surface to challenge myself to paint, and I settled on a pocket watch. The darkness of the photograph’s background also inspired me to create an image with high contrast.
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Inspiration artwork: Paul Mele, Waiting on a Call from You, 2022, Photography/ archival pigment print
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Donald & Gloria Horn Scholarship Award
Aisy Franciscovich
Home at the Hearth, Oil on canvas
Huntington High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Kristin Singer
I was drawn to the serenity of the subject in Pat Ralph’s The Visit Home, someone at peace in their childhood home. In my piece, I placed myself in front of the coziest and warmest spot in my house. This is where I seek comfort during the cold winter evenings - basking in the glow of the fire as I work on one of my favorite pastimes: knitting. Knitting is a hobby that clears my mind and centers me after a long, hectic day. I duplicated my body to represent how this is quality time with myself. I felt that this message was best shared through two full body figures, connected through a project, unraveling my thoughts and changing them into something cohesive. It represents the idea that through the strings of one’s thoughts, we create the overall “fabric” of the day. I left the shelves blank as I am focused solely on the rhythm of the knitting and my inner thoughts. Knitting for me is a way to practice self care. It is a time that I spend in a safe place that is dedicated solely to the rhythm of the needles and my thoughts. Returning home after time away is always a calming experience, a return to normalcy. Pat Ralph uses warm colors in a quilt filled with patterns. In my painting, the warmth is generated from the flaming logs and the warm tones of the bricks. The patterns of my piece reside in the fireplace tv screen, bricks, and knitted rows of the project at hand. I enjoyed the shading and color changes that occur with the bends and curves of fabric. My intention was to encapsulate the feelings of comfort and peace that were inspired by The Visit Home
Honorable Mention
Inspiration artwork:
Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983, Oil on vellum
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Letizia Franzese
Broken Nature, Photography on wood, LED lights
Patchogue-Medford High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Amy Cunningham
Pat Ralph’s The Visit Home stood out to me because it captures the essence of someone’s safe space. In Ralph’s painting, we see a man resting comfortably on a couch; the warm colors creating a welcoming space. I believe the piece flows in a calming, yet solemn way. I wanted my work to truly encapsulate the way we cope by being around bright colors and nature to find peace and happiness. To contrast, I wanted to express feelings of hopelessness and struggle, and the irony of being in a positive environment yet feeling broken. I used raw wood and cut my image in half to illustrate vulnerability within a world of color and created a bright, illuminated effect by wrapping white LED lights on the back of the wood.
Inspiration artwork: Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983, Oil on vellum
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Dylan Friedman
Birch Loop, Chalk pastel
John F. Kennedy High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Vanessa Albaneze
I was inspired by Shain Bard’s piece Driving into Twilight, Ukraine on my Mind. Seeing the snow, dense trees, and sunset reminded me of the drive up to Vermont for Thanksgiving at my grandparent’s house, so I felt it was fitting to make a piece showing the house from the porch deck - the first glimpse of the house that you see before turning into the driveway. I loved Bard’s use of color and brushstrokes, something I hoped to recreate in my piece. I love drawing and painting wildlife and am incredibly passionate about wildlife conservation. I hope to inspire people to preserve the natural world through this piece and appreciate Vermont’s natural beauty.
Inspiration artwork:
Shain Bard, Driving into Twilight, Ukraine on my Mind, 2022, Oil
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Kareena Galani
Ancestors, Watercolor on paper
Jericho Senior High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Tara Pillich
I became inspired by Karl Bourke’s self portrait and his ability to capture the intimacy between the subject and the viewer. My artwork is a representation of my great, great, great-grandmother. I used watercolor and overlapped small lines to create each detailed wrinkle on her face. My purpose is to keep my grandmother’s memory alive while creating a connection between my subject and the viewer.
Inspiration artwork: Karl Bourke, One of the Boys: Self Portrait, 2022, Oil on linen
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Joseph Mack Achievement Award
Annika Galvin
From The Sky, Gouache and colored pencil
Huntington High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Kristin Singer
Takenaga’s Wheel (Zozma) reminded me of a Swedish fairytale that was read to me as a child. The story explores a similar theme of “visual worlds that conjure both the grandeur of the cosmos and the marvels of the molecular.” After viewing the Global Asias exhibit, I reflected on my own upbringing and the experiences I had in connection to my Swedish family. The colors I use - muted blues and pale yellows - are all taken from architecture around my grandmother’s cottage in Sweden. In my work, I include a figure as the focal point, with a slice of orange hanging over her head emanating light. The fairytale I read details a community of small, thumbelina-type people, and the plight they face when the “sun” falls from the sky; in reality, that sun is simply an orange that a passerby had dropped. By using these elements in my piece, I was able to show a sense of grandeur of the cosmos, and understand something bigger than myself of the world I inhabit. This, in turn, allows me to recognise the ever-flowing relationship between small moments and the big picture.
Inspiration artwork:
Barbara Takenaga, Wheel (Zozma), 2008, Stenciled linen pulp and acrylic on cotton and abaca base
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Brigid Gawley
Abandoned Seats, Oil on canvas
Manhasset High School, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Lori Oldaker
I was inspired by the somber atmospheric quality achieved in Paul Mele’s photograph, Waiting on a Call from You. A withered lampshade, an old phone, dead leaves, and a candle melted long ago all lend a feeling of emptiness to the viewer. These symbols that represent such a long passage of time bring realization that the call never came. The empathy this piece evoked inspired my piece, Abandoned Seats. Like Mele, I used a dark, limited color palette, but chose oil paint to capture the loneliness and despair a person would feel when forgotten or discarded. Similarly, I also chose to include objects to represent the passing of time, replicating Mele’s falling leaves and antique wallpaper to create the same feeling that he portrayed. In search of old objects to photograph as reference, I made my way to the school’s theater storage area. Antiques, once purposeful, perhaps even cherished, now piled upon each other in an overcrowded and hidden old room. In an artist statement of Mele’s, it read that his photos “often illustrate time’s way of imposing its will upon all things and the wreckage it leaves behind.” Because I most related to the element of human wreckage that often comes with the passing of time, I chose to include a lone figure, still, among the forgotten objects, in the dark, amongst piled seats. Perhaps they wait to feel valued, perhaps they are losing hope that someone will rescue them from their loneliness.
Adelphi University For the Love of Art Award
Inspiration artwork:
Paul Mele, Waiting on a Call from You, 2022, Photography/archival pigment print
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Jessica Gelman Kaleidoscope, Digital photograph
Half Hollow Hills High School East
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Allyson Uttendorfer
I was inspired by Despina Zografos’s cut paper collage, Strolleroptera - It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple. The symmetric kaleidoscope-like pattern acted as inspiration and connected to my investigation of playgrounds. The collage focused on lines and the idea that simplicity is not common amongst individuals. While creating my work, I shot different views of a metal jungle gym. Then, I experimented with digital editing to transform my image into black and white emphasizing the lines and patterns. I duplicated the image four times, and then I used the Droste effect, where a smaller version of the image is placed inside itself. The theme that my image portrays is that a simple, child-like, recreational activity, is more complex than it seems. Every action is filled with layers. The jungle gym becomes abstract and unrecognizable and the desaturated colors create unity and emphasis. Just as Zografos’s composition, I wanted the viewer’s eye to travel to the center of the image and follow the spiraling patterns.
Inspiration artwork:
Despina Zografos, Strolleroptera - It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple, 2022, Two layers of hand cut paper, punctured text, foam board, chip board
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Josh Gilmore
The Mountains Through Home, Digital photograph
Wellington C. Mepham High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Kelly Desmond
After I viewed Barbara Roux’s beautiful photography piece titled The Earth Views the Sky, I was encouraged to create my own work of art testing different perspectives and focusing on my subject from afar. I decided to center the picture through my window and around the mountains by my house. The perspective is similar to that of Barbara Roux’s photo since nature is the main focus and both are through glass. Her piece is reflected through a mirror, while mine is through a window pane. I selected this specific photo of Roux’s because the trees and leaves weren’t necessarily the emphasis of the photo, but the mirror they were being reflected through was, similar to how in my piece the window is the center of the picture and the frame through which we view nature.
Inspiration artwork: Barbara Roux, The Earth Views the Sky, 1998, Gelatin silver print From the exhibition: Viewfinders: Photographers Frame Nature
Morgan Giordano
Beyond the Labyrinth, Acrylic on cardboard
Sayville High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Evan Hammer
Have you ever tried to step away from an overbearing, busy, colorful world of constant movement? A world that will be waiting for us to come right back, leaving us with no time to doze off, or be out of focus. My admiration for my older brother and his ongoing, exhausting pursuit of perfection and stability has inspired this piece. I get to see how he thinks, how he works, what he loves, and how he is passionate about everything he knows. When there is that short duration of rest time, he dozes off into his sleep, secluded from the people and works that often surround him. As Pat Ralph depicts her grown son Steven in his childhood home, I depict my older brother in ours. Her title, The Visit Home, expresses the comfort we all have in the places we grew up – the same comfort I found my brother in. Resting upon the textured cushions of our home, he is secured in the absence of color and away from our labyrinth of a world.
Inspiration artwork:
Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983, Oil on vellum
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Fourth Place, The Stan Brodsky Scholarship Award
Marycelia Gonzalez
My Pain in Hope to Reach
Mixed media (watercolor, acrylic and colored pencil)
Wyandanch High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Jill Lewis
I was inspired by artist Hung Liu’s Official Portraits: Immigrant to create a self-portrait of my own. I look at my reflection in a foggy mirror on a daily basis and the condensation on the mirror makes it look as if my face is melting in the reflection. Portraits have the power to show emotion without the use of any words. I chose to create this image of my pain hoping to express my anguish to the viewer. I wanted to find a way to talk without having to speak at all.
Inspiration artwork:
Hung Liu, Official Portraits: Immigrant, 2006, Lithograph with collage
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Delaney Gravina
Medusa’s Curse, Ceramic
Long Beach High School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Joanne Harvey
I was drawn to the movement of the snake in Akio Takamori’s Sea Serpent. It inspired me to create a coil pot out of clay. I chose this hand building method to replicate the circular movement of the snake around the figure. In Sea Serpent the viewer’s eye is guided to move from the bottom to the top of the print. I tried to replicate this spiraling motion by creating my snake from the bottom of the interior of my pot out and around to the top.
Inspiration artwork:
Akio Takamori, Sea Serpent, 2008, Archival inkjet and hand lithography
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Emilia Greco
Golden Swings, Digital photograph
Northport High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: John DeRosa
Golden hour, also known as the magic hour, refers to the time of day when the sun is just above the horizon, creating a warm, golden light that illuminates everything in its path. This fleeting period of time has a special connection to nature, as it accentuates the beauty of the natural world and creates a sense of peace and tranquility. Swing Sets, on the other hand, offer a different kind of serenity. The gentle sway of the swings, the creaking of the chains, and the soft rustling of leaves create a soothing and calming atmosphere. Swing sets are often found in natural settings like parks and playgrounds, where they provide a quiet oasis for relaxation and contemplation. I chose this artist’s work because I feel that the nature of the photograph as well as the colors, create the same feeling of tranquility as my photograph. They both encourage us to slow down, breathe deeply, and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.
Achievement Award
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Inspiration artwork: Joanne Mulberg, North Fork, Long Island, 1990, Chromogenic color print
From the exhibition:
Viewfinders: Photographers Frame Nature
Saamia Hassan
You Can Always Reach Me...
Mixed media (colored pencil, acrylic on acetate, digital photograph)
Hicksville High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Craig Mateyunas
I was inspired by Brianna Hernández Baurichter and the details included in her piece. Taking a closer look at Baurichter’s photograph, I noticed how she uses complex layers to portray someone pondering life after a loss. The hallucination in the doorway resembles the idea that people are always with you even if they aren’t physically there. The “Happy Birthday” balloon in the trash demonstrates how memories aren’t the same if you aren’t sharing them with the people you love, and the room as a whole is a reminder of how life changes over time. Similar to Baurichter, I wanted my piece to create a story without a set ending. Throughout high school, my best friend and I would talk on the phone every night. My relationships with family and friends are bound to change soon as I head off to college. For my piece, You Can Always Reach Me… I wanted to incorporate the idea of the unknown and to illustrate positive and negative outcomes. To do this, I photographed myself and my best friend in our rooms on the phone with each other. I edited the photo using a glitch effect to illustrate how time is always passing. The colored pencil figures are used to show the positive outcome. The intact detailed figures demonstrate how some things will never change. The paintings were created to show the negative outcome. I experimented with wiping away the paint from the acetate to capture a vanishing ghost-like image. Connections may fade, but memories will stay. Even if I’m not there with you, I’ll always be there for you.
Inspiration artwork:
Brianna Hernández Baurichter, Anticipatory/Después - Hallucination, 2022, Digital photography
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Natalie Hayes
Feels Just Like Home, Mixed media (oil paint, fabric, glue, and wood)
East Rockaway High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Kelly Cabasso
Oftentimes, feeling “at home” isn’t associated with a place, but rather, a person. I was inspired by Kayla Moz’s drawing, Restless, and created my own work of art showing a moment when I felt most at home. Moz’s illustration gave me a sense of emptiness and discomfort with its overlapping imagery. The figure seems to struggle to settle and regain a peaceful moment of rest. In my work, the overlapping painted figures have achieved a content state where they can relax and feel safe in one another’s presence.
Honorable Mention
Inspiration artwork:
Kayla Moz, Restless, 2022, Charcoal
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Nikki Hirschkind
Retract, Refresh, Repeat, Graphite and colored pencil on paper
Bellport High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Devin Auricchio
The variety of textures and colors depicted in Kasmira Mohanty’s Tula inspired me to create a piece of my own using similar components. I admired how Mohanty used vibrant colors to emphasize the woman’s hair, nails, and clothing in her work. With this concept in mind, I decided to colorize the whiskey glass to signify the importance of it in my composition. The colored glass, which resembles a psychic’s crystal ball, contains my father’s complex life story and his potential future. It symbolizes how alcohol can be used as a compass through life when battling past conflicts, and how those issues may repeat themselves throughout time. I also appreciated how Kasmira paid close attention to detail in the woman’s features. It encouraged me to make my portrait very detail-oriented, focusing on elements such as the strands of white hair on the chin or freckles near the nose. Like Tula, the meaning behind my work goes beyond the person who is being presented on paper. The emotion, perspective, and objects within the piece are used to tell the story of unraveled relationships and moving past personal struggles.
Inspiration artwork:
Kasmira Mohanty, Tula, 2022, Mixed media
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Faith Hoerning
Tethered Heart, Colored pencil
Northport High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Anthony Klinger-Cooley
I was inspired by Mele’s photograph and appreciated the depth he created through his choice of color palette and use of shadows. This inspired me to create a similar feeling in my own work. I created high contrast between the neutral colors in the background and the splash of bright red in the center of my work. I noticed that in Mele’s photograph, the image seemed to fade and become less saturated around the edges compared to the center. I decided to create a similar effect by adding a vibrant balloon against the muted background. This helps viewers to focus on the central point in my work that carries the most meaning.
Inspiration artwork: Paul Mele, Waiting on a Call from You, 2022, Photography/archival pigment print
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Cara Hooke
Hiding inside of my Dream, Oil on canvas
Elmont Memorial High School
Grade 12, Art Teacher: Stella Grenier
I chose Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind as my inspiration because of the double meaning in the lighting and symbolism of the piece. At first glance, the explosion in the sky looks like the sun and the painting has a calm, serene feeling. However, the title of the painting reveals that there is more to this beautiful landscape the longer you appreciate it. The “sun” actually doubles as an explosion and this gives the viewer a false sense of security. It felt like a portrayal of a world that only exists in the artist’s mind. In my piece, I wanted to portray a seemingly tranquil world but upon further inspection, the concern on the faces of the figures becomes more apparent.
Inspiration artwork:
Shain Bard, Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind, 2022, Oil
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Ellie Johnson
In Our Own World, Oil on linen
Northport High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Christine Driscoll
While looking for inspiration, I was heavily influenced by Karl Bourke’s realist approach in Spanish Poet: Portrait of Sara Martínez Navarro. His study on the “observed world” shows an accurate depiction of contemporary life. I wanted to take that interpretation and make it my own. My intention was to create a pure and unembellished version of our own lives as human beings. We find ourselves constantly surrounded by strangers, whether it be in a workplace, a big city, or even a subway ride. Yet, somehow, even in such instances, we remain reclusive and reserved. The introduction of new technological advancements has only strengthened this fragile system in which we ignore the presence of strangers around us, and instead remain in our own world. It seems that even when surrounded by so many, we still feel that ubiquitous sense of loneliness engulf us.
Huntington Fine Arts Honorable Mention
Inspiration artwork: Karl Bourke, Spanish Poet: Portrait of Sara Martínez Navarro, 2020, Oil on linen
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Hannah Jung
Diffidence, Acrylic on canvas
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Jenna Silverstein
My artwork entitled Diffidence was inspired by Karl Bourke’s piece, One of the Boys: Self Portrait. He has painted himself in an art studio with other pieces he appeared to be working on in the background. Those works in progress also appear to be self portraits. While I thought about painting a portrait of myself, I wanted to make a piece that expressed my emotions at times, rather than just displaying what is on the outside. The emotion I am portraying in the painting is self-consciousness, something most people can relate to. Just as Bourke showed himself working on other self portraits in the studio, the hands of the figure in my painting are creating a portrait of their selfconsciousness. The gesture shown on the canvas showcases the inner struggles of low confidence, fear, guilt, and shame – all feelings of self-consciousness that may be an overbearing struggle.
Inspiration artwork: Karl Bourke, One of the Boys: Self Portrait, 2022, Oil on linen
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Vazira Khakimova
All is gone, Acrylic on canvas with mirror
Hicksville High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Craig Mateyunas
While looking for inspiration at The Heckscher Museum, Brianna L. Hernández
Baurichter’s Anticipatory/Después - Esperate immediately caught my eye. I noticed the cold blues and sickly yellows first, but despite my initial feelings, it gave me a sense of comfort and I connected to it on an emotional level. The picture itself was eerie. You could see a person laying in bed, crowded with flowers and most of them were dead. The artist illustrates the passage of time while emphasizing the inevitability of the situation in the image. It’s clear the main figure’s condition isn’t improving regardless of the amount of flowers she receives with well wishes for her to get better. For my piece, I wanted to portray a similar paradox. I stretched a canvas on both sides of a stretcher to create a double sided look, and used a mirror so the other side could be viewed. I want the viewer to experience and understand the inevitable passage of time just like in Baurichter’s work. The story in my painting shows the reality that not all endings are good, nor can you control who leaves your life. The main figure on the front of my work is an old man eating in an empty diner by himself. The painting on the back is a happy moment from when he was younger, surrounded by his family. The man is alone now, and left with only memories of his loved ones. The mirror serves as a way to reflect and reminisce about a happier time. In this instance, it’s when the old man had his family by his side. Whether viewers perceive his family to have left him because of his own mistakes or maybe he simply outlived them is up to each individual’s interpretation. I decided to use a diner as the setting because they serve food very similar to home cooked meals, which is what the person in the painting is missing.
Visitors Choice Award
Inspiration artwork:
Brianna Hernández Baurichter, Anticipatory/Después - Esperate, 2022, Digital photography
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Grace Kilarjian
Claustrophobia, Acrylic on canvas
South Side High School, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Chris Karaktin
When I visited the Heckscher Museum, I was drawn to Steve Palumbo’s Black Swan. I was surprised to be drawn to a work that was so geometric. The geometric shapes are the opposite of the organic imagery and fluidity that I am usually interested in. I found the flatness of Black Swan captivating. I was very interested in the large area of black and bright red accents and how the eye was the key to seeing the subject - a sentient being. I felt confinement within this piece when I looked at it. The broad wings of the bird so seamlessly connected with the edges of the piece, it seemed so elegant, so calm, and yet I saw a struggle. It felt like the bird was confined to the canvas. I wanted to connect to this idea of restraint and human acts of disgrace against nature for selfish needs - corruption, pollution, a fall from divinity. I enjoy depicting animal subjects with fluid and organic movement, so rather than use geometric shapes to define the bird, I chose to depict a bird in a more realistic style, emphasizing texture to make it feel as if its feathers jump out of the canvas. My swan is similarly confined to the crisp and strong edges of a canvas. However, rather than maintaining its position like Palumbo’s Black Swan, a clear boundary is defined by the edges of the canvas. The swan is compressed into this small box by its own weight, seemingly trapped. The clearly defined eye of the swan in Palumbo’s painting inspired me to take a deeper look into what makes eyes so clearly distinguishable - what gives them the power to evoke recognition and sympathy? I took great care in giving my bird vitality - the eye has a soulfulness created through rich vibrant colors contrasting with a deep, endless black pupil - a pool of mystery and emotion, a window to somewhere we cannot see and yet we connect to through the commonality of the privilege of life, some unspoken understanding between beings. I wanted the viewer to be able to see themselves within this bird.
Inspiration artwork: Steve Palumbo, Black Swan, 2022, Oil on canvas
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Beacon of Hope, Acrylic on canvas
W. T. Clarke High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Marlena Dentrone
I was inspired by Shain Bard’s Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind to create my artwork. I found myself reflecting on the idea of finding hope in a time of hopelessness. I wanted to highlight the contrast between the difficult situation the main feature is facing in the present time and the possible future of finding a state of peaceful happiness. I focused on the contradiction of colors utilizing acrylic paint as I associated lighter colors with the hope aspect of my piece and darker colors with the tragic reality. In both our pieces, the themes coincided as we showed how innocence faces the devastating realities of humanity. Whether it was physical or mental damage, humans inflict pain on other species and ourselves. Although both the car and the deer face disastrous situations, they focus on the future. As Bard’s piece displays the car driving on the path towards the light, the deer in my piece is also traveling toward its desired final destination. Through my artwork, I wanted to convey the message that someone or something faces the horrible characteristics of humankind and how the innocent tries to overcome the difficulties by envisioning hopeful outcomes.
Inspiration artwork:
Shain Bard, Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind, 2022, Oi
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Chae Ryeong Kim
Johanna Kim
Trance, Charcoal
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Jenna Silverstein
My artwork, Trance, displays movement and message through the use of charcoal and erasing; this piece was inspired by Restless by Kayla Moz. To create a similar sense of motion, I used the charcoal to create blurs and streaks of light to express three girls spinning at a fast pace. In addition, I also wanted to portray a sense of emotion. I wanted to express the feeling of being in a trance to symbolize how society looks down upon me and others. I drew a group of girls circling another girl in the center. The faceless rotating girls represent society pressuring a child; putting the child into a trance. This represents how children are pressured to be a certain way by the rules of society.
Inspiration artwork: Kayla Moz, Restless, 2022, Charcoal
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Joseph Mack Achievement Award
Alden Kisner
Dreaming in Color, Oil on canvas
Cold Spring Harbor High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Laura Cirino
For my artwork, Dreaming in Color, I was inspired by Denise Franzino’s Springtime Daydreams and incorporated aspects of her painting into my own. My painting unmistakably captures my facial features and expression. I distributed the vibrant colors from my face around the entire painting. The lively colors symbolize how I am not a realist in the way I see the world. Self-expression has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I started the creative process by painting with my fingers to be expressive and feel a deeper connection to my painting. My dream is to see the world in greater color, so I decided to bring this concept into my self-portrait. I approached this painting with loose brush strokes to represent how I perceive things more abstractly and creatively.
Inspiration artwork: Denise Franzino, Springtime Daydreams, 2022, Oil From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Matt Klimek
Aspiration, Digital art
Chaminade High School, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Shuchao Luo
The artwork that inspired me was Water Line by Christa Maiwald. Initially looking at this artwork, I saw the struggle of the people, individually or in a pair, all with a clear goal: the goal to preserve the depleting water resources. Examining this work of art reminded me of my own goals, and the future I want for myself. The struggle to achieve one’s goals is what I thought about most from Water Line, and what I emphasized in the first part of my artwork. My art piece is a digital photo collage that tells a linear story. The top four pictures represent the work, training, and preparation for what I long for in my life. The next five are my journey towards achieving this goal. A race is depicted here, symbolic of my racing towards what I want from life. These pictures, blurry and not clear, showing the uncertainty of whether my goals will be met. The picture of holding the trophy covers my eyes to show how, in this moment, I am blinded to the truth, and I only see and think of victory. The closeup of the eyes represents a “waking up” from these thoughts - a snap back to reality. All the previous pictures are intentionally darker to show how that is not the truth, and that only thinking can lead to darkness. Only one person was in the race, as I was alone in my head. The last photo shows that nothing happened yet, and I still sit, thinking, as the world still goes on, and the plane is flying in the sky.
Inspiration artwork: Christa Maiwald, Water Line, 2021, Hand embroidery on cotton
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Sophie Kwon
Memory Book, Colored pencil
St. Mary’s High School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Beata Syszkowska
In Pat Ralph’s The Visit Home, the subject lies on a couch in comfort, perhaps reminiscing about his childhood. Inspired by this, I drew my work of art while recalling the pleasant memories of the past that made me who I am today. In Ralph’s painting, the figure is resting in a familiar and cozy space with a peaceful expression on his face. I tried to draw my face as I look back on my younger days, recalling happy memories to my heart’s content. To recall these delightful days, I chose to use social media, which I think is essential for modern people and can express the emotions of teenagers without embellishment. Social media can also be a precious memory book for me, as I can bring back the memories of that time while looking at my past in-feed posts.
Inspiration artwork: Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983, Oil on vellum
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Ava Lerner
Solitude, Digital photograph
Northport High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: John DeRosa
My artwork, Solitude, was inspired by Kenji Nakahashi’s photograph, Wash Basin. Like Nakahashi’s, my image portrays a bird’s-eye point of view, which accentuates the lonely feeling that is depicted. It also focuses the viewer’s eye on the main subject of my photograph.
Inspiration artwork: Kenji Nakahashi, Wash Basin, 1981, Dye coupler print
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Melisa Li
Myself, Glass etching
Paul D. Schreiber High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Miranda Best
In my self-portrait, I wanted to capture the effect of immigration on second-generation immigrant children. Being a second-generation child, I have found it difficult to fit in with a predominantly Caucasian environment due to being raised by Chinese standards. I recall being so ashamed of my culture; I made every attempt I could to cast it aside. Whether it was asking for “normal lunches” or refusing to learn Mandarin, it wasn’t only until certain aspects of Asia became trendy that I started to accept my blood. Attempting to bridge the gap between my Chinese heritage and American upbringing was seemingly impossible; it was either one or the other. In my artwork, the doorway leading into an endlessly long hallway through the figure’s chest signifies my never-ending journey of trying to feel like I belong. I chose Hung Liu’s piece, Official Portraits: Immigrant, because I found it relatable, despite it depicting an earlier generation. The artist’s use of multiple portraits to depict the most memorable stages in life when coming to the U.S. inspired me to think of a way of portraying the passage and journey of finding “myself.”
Inspiration artwork:
Hung Liu, Official Portraits: Immigrant, 2006, Lithograph with collage
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Victoria Libert
Realm, Digital photograph
Patchogue-Medford High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Amy Cunningham
Barbara Takenaga’s abstract artwork, Wheel (Zozma), has a cool toned color palette and intriguing shapes. I was initially drawn to the movement of the image and how the shapes and lines lead your eyes around the work of art. The attention to detail and movement in Takenaga’s artwork inspired me. In my photograph, I aimed to portray the movement of a viewer’s eye. I feel like I captured this with the movement of the spherical shapes. To achieve this, I used Macro Photography with natural lighting and materials found around my house. I was therefore able to capture a very detailed photograph with sharp contrast. Through this process, I was able to accomplish a circular effect similar to Takenaga’s image, yet make it in my own style.
Inspiration artwork:
Barbara Takenaga, Wheel (Zozma), 2008, Stenciled linen pulp and acrylic on cotton and abaca base
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Anna Limb
Entangled Dragonflies
Mixed media (string, mulberry paper, velum, tissue paper, wire)
Manhasset High School, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Lori Oldaker
After looking at Despina Zografos’s piece, I was very intrigued. From afar, the piece appeared to be relatively simple. It is white, and has a beautiful pattern. A step closer, and the fine details of the pattern became more visible. Two steps closer and the depth of the piece really stood out. Up close, all of the complex details of the intricately cut paper and shadowing were visible. I was inspired by this interesting use of layering, a monochromatic color palette, and attention to detail. I wanted to see if a similar strategy could be used to convey my message regarding the navigation to find clarity in life. In my piece, I wanted to represent resilience through dragonflies. I used a web of many pieces of string to convey that resilience is the connection and the catalyst for clarity. I wanted to display how there is not one true path, but various paths to finding clarity. Through my use of texture from the mulberry paper, a web of strings, and the placement of the dragonflies caught in the strings, I sought to display how being able to achieve clarity is often a multi-faceted journey of confusion, chaos, highs, and lows. In my piece, I wanted to achieve a similar effect of depth and surprise that I experienced when viewing Zografos’s work. From afar, my piece may look like a simple toned frame with threaded white string. A step closer and it may expose the detail of the entangled dragonflies. A couple more steps, and the detail of the different paper mediums such as the mulberry on the background and the frame and tissue paper become apparent. Up close and the detail of the string on the abdomen of each dragonfly is seen, the texture of this mulberry paper is clear, and the threads of darker string throughout the piece are visible. The piece, like life, appears simple from afar, but with a closer look, there is depth, detail, and layers of intricacies.
Inspiration artwork:
Despina Zografos, Strolleroptera - It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple, 2022, Two layers of hand cut paper, punctured text, foam board, chip board
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Parker Lyon
Abnormal Symmetry, Digital art
Connetquot High School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: John Hargrave
At times, art can attempt to recreate the randomness and uncertainty of human creation. Laura Siegelman’s painting, Shade, portrays the symmetry and repetition of nature and inspired me to create my own digital work of art. In Abnormal Symmetry, I tried to merge both symmetry and repetition, but in my own way. You can never truly tell what is at the center, but you are sure that it is not made by nature. On the larger scale of the piece you can see near perfect symmetry of the left and right side, which may be human creation, nature, or perhaps both.
Inspiration artwork: Laura Siegelman, Shade, 2022, Acrylic paint
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Grace Maldonado
Frame Of Mind
Mixed media (Armature wire, ceramic [bones], branches, moss, resin beads, sand and glass beads, picture frame, acrylic paint, plaster, battery lights) Oyster Bay High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Scott Boris
A frame is meant to caress a work of art, holding it in place. Its arms latch onto the artwork, meant to keep the artwork inside its walls, never to exit. But barriers don’t always work… in his piece, And How Does That Make You Feel?, Jason Aurelio-Thomas used mixed media to create a three-dimensional sculpture that jumps out at the viewer. When viewing his artwork, I felt that his work depicted emotions through the use of various colors and materials and his work created a feeling of longing. I wanted to create something like that - something that would capture the audience and make them wonder, feel, and ask, “And How Does That Make You Feel?” Aurelio-Thomas’s work challenged me to work with wire for the first time, as well as resin, sand, and glass beads to create texture. I collected material from my school’s courtyard including leaves, branches, and moss; I used plaster for the heart. My sculpture reaches outside the frame, into unexplored space. I used armature wire to encapsulate an unknown path that may be taken, heading in multiple directions. It appears to be reaching for something that is not there, something that will never be found. The frame has organic growth, moss, branches, dead leaves and decaying bones, which represent the passing of time. The sculpture searches for meaning from the tumultuous heart; screaming out the ends of leaves, trapped in the frame, trapped within itself, its emotions. It depicts sharp pain that never seems to end. As the gray chunks of resin glass beads and sand grasp onto the wire, clutching to its pain, it is weighed down, making sure it remains affixed to the walls of the frame.
Inspiration artwork: Jason Aurelio-Thomas, And How Does That Make You Feel?, 2022, Mixed media (steel wire, plaster, plaster cloth, resin, acrylic paint) From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Larissa Mallen
Rebirth: A Disconnection, Marker and colored pencil
Syosset High School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Demi Protonentis
After observing Waiting on a Call from You by artist Paul Mele, what really resonated with me was the broken phone and the concept of disconnection from a person waiting to be reconnected with. The idea of disconnection as a virtue, or an end result, struck me. In today’s society, we are all caught up in social media and drama, which have become distractions that disrupt the tranquility of life. In my piece, Rebirth: A Disconnection, I decided to depict an unplugged phone, and additionally a cracked iPhone, that emphasize the detachment and further disconnection from the internet. The destroyed lamp in Mele’s photograph prompted me to also include a lamp with the light on. I wanted to convey the idea that instead of waiting in the dark for someone to reach out to you, you should instead shine the light on other enjoyments such as the study of art history, which is visible through the books in my work. Disconnecting with society for a period of time can act as a positive “rebirth” for an individual’s growth and self-reflection.
Inspiration artwork: Paul Mele, Waiting on a Call from You, 2022, Photography/archival pigment print
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Grace Marazzo
Sunshine House
Mixed media (photograph, pastel pencil, metal, magazine cutouts, gel pen)
Division Avenue High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Tim Ryan
I was inspired by Darlene Blaurock’s mixed media artwork, Stargazer, which motivated me to create a piece of my own. I admire her use of color, and the atmosphere she created within her piece. My piece, Sunshine House, represents my life. Growing up, my house has always had a love-filled atmosphere. My goal was to share the love, art, and memories nurtured by my house, with the imagination portrayed in Stargazer as my guide. This piece started off with a photograph I took at the beach where I spent all of my summers. I then thought about all of the factors that symbolize my childhood. My favorite part is the flowers growing from the roof that symbolize the love grown throughout my life. My house has always fostered love, happiness, and ultimately, sunshine.
Achievement Award
Inspiration artwork: Darlene Blaurock (Darluv), Stargazer, 2021, Mixed media
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Natalia Juleanne Monsale
Dream to Memoir, Acrylic on canvas
Glen Cove High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: LeeAnn Palazzo
I had a strong emotional response to Paul Mele’s photograph, Waiting on a Call from You. The ornateness of the objects and the dark atmosphere give the image an antique feeling. The title of the photograph evokes a sense of longing for a time gone by; a sense of holding on to the past. I was motivated to make my own work of art inspired by this feeling. As I grow older, the reality that I’m going to be an adult creeps ever so closely to the forefront of my mind. There are times I wish to be a child again, as everything seemed so carefree and joyful. I miss the innocence of childhood the farther it fades away from my memory. I, too, am longing for the past, and nostalgia is a feeling that I can’t quite describe aside from my chest feeling tighter. I try to ignore the feeling, choosing to live my life day by day as it comes, but in those quiet moments by myself, I fear that my life may be just as quick, to be a lamp faded by time, only to be recognizable by its wire structure.
Inspiration artwork: Paul Mele, Waiting on a Call from You, 2022, Photography/archival pigment print
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Abigail Montes
Tindahan sa Little Manila, Woodside, Oil on canvas
Division Avenue High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Tim Ryan
I was inspired by William Low’s Sammis Street Sycamores and his ability to capture life through a painting. Low takes the universal feeling of walking around the block in the suburbs during a peaceful afternoon and encapsulates that familiarity with neutral tones and textured brush strokes. Growing up as a Filipino-American, I often felt disconnected with my culture living in a majority-white community. Woodside, Queens was the closest thing to the Philippines and made me more familiar with who I was. Instead of trees that shaded my weekend-afternoon walks to the Filipino grocery store, I had the tall buildings filled with chismosa titas and laughing titos. In contrast to Low’s work, I used bright saturated colors and short thin strokes to represent the movement and noises of the city. Using a canvas board provided another texture, capturing the bustling and roughness of walking under the train overpasses that rumbled the streets.
Virtual Visitors Choice Award
Inspiration artwork:
William Low, Sammis Street Sycamores, 2021, Oil on linen
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
JiSeung Moon
Living Along, Ink
Shoreham Wading River High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Jason Andria
The house alongside a tree in Old House Under Tree by Joe Constantino made me think about the relationship between humans and nature and inspired me to create this ink drawing. Humans cannot live without nature, yet somehow we are treating the environment as a product that we can purchase. People are cutting trees to sell, to build something, or to warm themselves. We have to pay for water. Since when did we start to use nature thinking about prices, as if nature is an absolute thing that we can exploit? The money we spend to use natural resources does not benefit nature in any way. For now, we need to choose between nature or humans, or find a way to co-exist. In my artwork, the idea I am trying to convey is that we need to find a better way to live together with nature - both recognizing its value and treating it with respect.
Inspiration artwork: Joe Constantino, Old House Under Tree, 2002, Gelatin silver print
From the exhibition:
Viewfinders: Photographers Frame Nature
Katie Morton
Garden Party, Gouache on paper
Smithtown Christian School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: James Roselle
When I first viewed Jacob Hashimoto’s Tiny Rooms and Tender Promises, I had trouble finding a focal point because of all the different objects which make up the piece. It wasn’t until I broke the artwork down and viewed them individually that I noticed how intricate it was and how each section worked harmoniously together. When a viewer first looks at Garden Party, they may struggle at first to know where to look first. It’s not until they dive into the art and examine each section that they can explore the narrative behind the piece.
Inspiration artwork:
Jacob Hashimoto, Tiny Rooms and Tender Promises, 2016, Mixografia® print on handmade paper and archival pigment print with push pins
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Joseph Mack Achievement Award
Naomy Mukai
My Repressed Heart, Mixed media (Acrylic on canvas and embroidery)
East Islip High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Daniel Figliossi
I was inspired by the artwork Scream Inside Your Heart by Kasmira Mohanty. I was drawn to the interesting juxtaposition between the anatomical heart and the figure. Although the two differ from each other with their expression, they are connected through the placement of the anatomical heart inside the figure. While the subject is displaying an inexpressive face, the anatomical heart is expressing an intense emotion as its “mouth” screams towards the viewer. When creating my own piece, I interpreted my personal relationship with my emotions - using an anatomical heart as a symbol for the figures’ emotional state. The topographic iceberg model is used to display the theory of the levels of the mind. My self-portrait is in the “subconscious” part of the mind, “sub” being a prefix for below. The figure’s connection with the heart via the red embroidery floss, the contrast of the two elements, and the choices in material, are meant to collectively create an intriguing visual and conceptual relationship.
Inspiration artwork:
Kasmira Mohanty, Scream Inside Your Heart, 2022, Mixed media
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Ava Muntner
Singing Accordingly, Digital photograph
Great Neck North High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Joseph Giacalone
The way in which Harry Roseman captured the raw essence of artist Joseph Cornell in his photograph, Cornell in Window ll, inspired my work, Singing Accordingly. The geometric composition creates a beautiful backdrop for the piece. Cornell and the man in my photograph utilize their home as their personal studio. My work explores how humans interact within their environment from both afar and up close. Similar to Roseman, where from a distance, he intentionally chooses not to editorialize his subject’s emotional narrative.
Inspiration artwork: Harry Roseman, Cornell in Window II, 1972, Color photograph
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Grace Nah
Look Above, Acrylic on canvas
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Megan Cashman
When I first looked at Tsunami on Rockaway Beach by Fernando Carpaneda, I was intrigued by the vivid but softly blended colors of acrylic paint that displayed a hyper-realistic portrayal of two individuals. To me, Tsunami on Rockaway Beach feels boisterous. Two very strong and masculine men posing in front of a powerful tsunami ringed “LOUD” to me. The shadows under the muscles in their arms and dimensional facial structures spoke “SHARP” and “MANLY” to me. But the fabric that flowed on their backs along with gracefully laid hair gently knocked “QUIET”, “SOFT”, and “FEMININE” to me. Such binary conditions reminded me of my own identity. Broad shoulders, sharp jawline, big nose, and low voice; everything about me reminds people of the word “handsome” instead of “pretty.” In my painting, I embraced both feminine and manly features. I may not be feminine in a standard way, but my nose wraps around softly at the end and my hair flows gracefully. I replicated the bold and vivacious colors of Carpaneda’s piece and added even more color dynamics. I want my art to speak “QUIET” to people–the dark restaurant overhead lighting shining on my androgynous features, nighttime in the city, and stillness. But my identity speaks loudly, standing in the middle with the brightest neon colors.
First Place, Celebrate Achievement Best in Show
Inspiration artwork: Fernando Carpaneda, Tsunami on Rockaway Beach, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Monica Ortiz
At The End Of The Road, Digital photograph
Uniondale High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Brianna Jacobs
I chose Shain Bard’s painting, Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind, because it is a very interesting piece that inspires a feeling of nostalgia. Bard’s piece and my artwork, At The End Of The Road, are similar in their light in the clouds and scenery. For my piece, I took many photographs and put them all together, surrounding the middle picture, which is the main focus. The photographs bordering the main image depict all of the memories being left behind. This emphasizes the fact that while at many times in our lives we have to move on from the past, it is important that we never forget that at the end of the road, there will be light and peace like there once was.
Inspiration artwork:
Shain Bard, Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind, 2022, Oil
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Willow Pomisel
Schizophrenia, Mixed media
(3-D printing, ceramics, wood, acrylic, carpet, spray paint, found objects)
Smithtown High School East
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Chris Lauto
My piece, Schizophrenia, is the first of what I hope to be many pieces dealing with mental disorders. Schizophrenia is a disorder that makes you interpret reality abnormally. Individuals who deal with schizophrenia can experience a combination of hallucinations, delusions, and a disordered way of thinking, which can impair daily functioning, behavior, and tasks. When I first saw Margaret Minardi’s artwork, Summer with Black Bird, I interpreted it as a young girl fighting a battle inside herself. She visually seems to be alone and in pain. A black crow may symbolize transformation, change, and freedom. I think that the girl is fighting to gain back freedom in her own mind while struggling with mental health. She can be seen as having a war with her inner demons. Minardi’s piece inspired mine by its realistic environment and the seemingly imaginary demons that an individual might deal with daily. I took this thought, and created a scenario showing how a regular, comfortable room can accommodate a similar type of delusion.
Inspiration artwork:
Margaret Minardi, Summer with Black Bird
2020, Colored pencil and acrylic
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Kayte Ramirez
Guilty by Existence, Colored pencil
Valley Stream South High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Ed Lee
Inspired by School Suspension Rates K-12 by Cheryl McBride, Guilty by Existence illustrates the racial bias in media coverage of Black youth. Like the disparity between the suspension rates of Black and Latino students compared to their white peers, the disparity of criminal media coverage of Black and white youth is highly prevalent. It has contributed to the unjust treatment faced by Black youth in the criminal justice system and has stereotyped all Black youth as a permanent threat. While the Pledge of Allegiance announces liberty and justice for all, these injustices continue to happen to Black youth due to precise wording that dehumanizes the lives and experiences of these individuals.
Inspiration artwork: Cheryl McBride, School Suspension Rates K-12, 2020, Digital print
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Sebastian Ramirez
Drained, Digital art
Huntington High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Kasmira Mohanty
My artwork, Drained, was inspired by Vernon McAuley’s RID - Remove Anything Troublesome, Unwanted or Threatening. I appreciate McAuley’s desire to have a positive effect on his immediate environment by confronting and exploring social, political, or cultural issues in his artwork. I have explored similar themes in a few of my former pieces of artwork. In this case, Drained depicts how our “smart” phones are attached to every facet of our lives, seemingly feeding on our very souls through a barrage social media and apps. People have become unhealthily obsessed with their online persona, apps, and games. The idea for my artwork grew out of this awareness, when I suddenly caught myself mindlessly scrolling on my phone looking at stories, videos, statuses, and posts online. Shamefully, I should have been brainstorming and sketching. I wasn’t developing anything of value. Days passed, disgusted with myself, I took a break from my phone, put on some music, and focused solely on the act of creation and illustration. I finally realized that the phone was taking away my motivation, and just feeding me with mindless content. My illustration became a portrait of a phone looming, intertwined and attached to an individual. Their eyes have become white noise, their body the blue color of a dead man. The phone’s tentacles are mining and voiding the human of free thought and spirit. The phone, in the end, morphs into an authoritative master.
Inspiration artwork: Vernon McAuley, RID - Remove Anything Troublesome, Unwanted or Threatening, 2022, Plaster, grouted ceramic tiles, painted plywood
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Allison Rich
Still Life, Acrylic on canvas
Islip High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Laura Vogelsberg
Paul Mele’s photograph, Waiting on a Call from You, inspired me to create a painting of a still life in an Impressionistic style. I used acrylic on a canvas to create a piece that shares a similar mood to the photograph. Mele’s photograph includes an old lamp with vines on it. I used the subject of a pot, which includes similar leaves and branches. Although I used Mele’s still life photograph as inspiration, I also included aspects from my own personal style in my painting by using distinctive strokes of color and Impressionistic style to create depth with color.
Inspiration artwork:
Paul Mele, Waiting on a Call from You, 2022, Photography/archival pigment print
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Minami Rodger
It’s all too much, Digital photograph
John F. Kennedy High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Sarah Ritchie
I based my photograph on artist Alisa Shea’s painting, It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine. Her image depicts the spiral of overthinking, stress, and anxiety. I really love how she used the pins and thread to represent a spiraling and overwhelming feeling in her painting. Teenagers in today’s society face the pressures of SAT’s, ACT’s, college applications, AP courses, and the many stressors that come with growing up. I decided to create a photograph to display the burnout Shea depicted. There is a breaking point one can reach where a person can feel as though they have lost all motivation and will to get up, and become careless. Thoughts constantly circle around grades, assignments, and what is happening in the upcoming week. For this reason, I chose to call my piece It’s all too much. To capture this scene, I photographed my desk, which often becomes covered in papers and garbage, and accumulates during the time I spend doing all my work. I asked my friend to lay her head on the mess to show the stress and exhaustion that comes with burnout.
Inspiration artwork:
Alisa Shea, It’s Fine. It’s Fine. Everything is Fine.
2021, Transparent watercolor
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Cozza Family Photography Award
Sophia Rose
A Piece From Time, Acrylic on canvas
Harborfields High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Elizabeth DeVaney
In RJT Haynes’ Cursum Perficio, there are many elements that caught my attention. I recognized how the painting evokes feelings of timelessness and nostalgia. Since the bag is visibly worn out and old, I thought of it as an antique, or heirloom, that has belonged to a person for a very long time. This concept inspired me to paint an old dartboard I have. The dartboard that I painted has been in my family’s possession for many decades. It first belonged to my grandparents, and now I have it. It is very old, outdated, and worn out. I wanted to capture all those aspects, similarly to how they were captured in Cursum Perficio. I drew all the scratches and holes etched into the fiber from the many years of playing darts. I also was inspired by the color scheme and tones in RJT Haynes’ painting. The colors in Haynes’ piece are very dull and muted, and I tried to keep my color scheme dull as well. Since Cursum Perficio is extremely realistic, I wanted to keep my painting relatively realistic as well. Overall, Cursum Perficio inspired me to create A Piece From Time and emulate its rustic and antique look, color palette, and sense of realism.
Second Place, Judith Sposato Memorial Prize
Inspiration artwork:
RJT Haynes, Cursum Perficio, 2020
Watercolour, coloured pencil, pastel, charcoal, gouache, acrylic, oil pastel, chalk, wax crayon, gold leaf
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Tiffany Sambhu
She Shattered/Her Pieces, Colored pencil
Valley Stream Central High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Mario Bakalov
The concept of home can be very complex. For me, it is a place where memories are formed. Traditionally, memories of home produce feelings of comfort and security, but in my life, I only felt abandoned and distraught. In looking at Still Life with Geranium in the Raise the Roof: The Home in Art exhibition, I immediately connected with having plants in my own home and witnessing how they are cared for. When they’re new, they are treated as a prized possession, but as time passes, they are forgotten. Similarly, I saw this as a metaphor for the care, or lack of care, I received in my own home. My piece, She Shattered/Her Pieces represents how an overwhelming amount of neglect and traumatic memories can break someone.
Inspiration artwork:
Lucile Blanch, Still Life with Geranium, 1924, Oil on canvas
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Lauren Schilling
An Open Mind, Ceramic Amityville Memorial High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Cara Westphal
What I enjoy the most about ceramics is how the process is full of experimenting, and that you never know what your creation will look like until the final firing. I found inspiration in the ceramic piece Wards Up by Lauren Skelly Bailey. I wanted to create a ceramic piece that allows everyone to have their own interpretations, and for it not to represent just one singular thing. I have never been able to make a connection with many pieces of art, but with this piece, something just stood out to me. I was interested in Skelly Bailey’s statement that “the artist determines what is enough.” With ceramics, for me at least, it is all about experimenting and waiting for the perfect combination of glazes until deeming it “enough.” I have always been drawn to abstract art, finding it to be peaceful, and beautiful in its own ways, but I was never able to interpret it. While making this ceramic piece, I didn’t know what I really wanted it to be. I just started adding coils to different sections of the vessel. As I was building it up, a piece broke off and I finally realized what I saw. The vessel represents my mind, and the coils that come out of the center represent multiple thoughts and memories. The piece that broke off represents a lost, fractured memory. Although this is what I see, I want everyone to decide what they see and to not only think of it as the mind. I want them to see a face or even a melted candle. Anything besides what I see. That is what An Open Mind means to me.
Inspiration artwork: Lauren Skelly Bailey, Wards Up, 2021, Glazed ceramics, pigments
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Maia Schnaider
Escapism, Colored pencil
Half Hollow Hills High School West
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Amanda Montiglio
I was truly inspired by Fernando Carpaneda’s The Son of Man. This painting sparked the idea of tranquility and stillness in me. I interpret this painting as the man being lost in thought, traveling through another place and time in his mind. He is surrounded by what looks like a mandala, symbolizing the self, as well as polka dots dispersed all around him, like thoughts bubbling in and out of the mind. The colors, the polka dots, and his seeming sense of serenity are what reminded me of those moments when one disconnects from time and space. In my drawing, I wanted to emphasize that same sense of serenity with a portrait of my own. I illustrated the feeling of being alone, in a trance-like state, comfortable and lost in a different world. My brother, the boy in the drawing, is concentrated, but still calm. The LED lights represent the boy being isolated in his own world, while still incorporating the cool tone color palette of blues, purples and pinks. Meanwhile, the mess in the back of the room portrays how he ignores the disorder and stress surrounding him, as if he is in a state of meditation like in The Son of Man. Relating to most teens today, I drew him playing a video game, because that’s how they are able escape into their virtual reality. I drew the polka dots onto the blanket to subtly incorporate that striking pattern.
Presberg Promising Young Artist Award
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Inspiration artwork: Fernando Carpaneda, The Son of Man, 2021, Acrylic on canvas
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Cameron Seviroli
Dress Up, Acrylic on canvas
Waldorf School of Garden City
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Anne Cavallaro
Inspired by The Visit Home by Pat Ralph, my painting, Dress Up, explores the unparalleled creative freedom and security found at home. Home serves as a place where society’s expectations can be disregarded, allowing one’s imagination to manifest through decoration and wardrobe. This piece explores aspects of my personality, and imagination through fashion; as it has always been a way of pushing the boundaries of my identity and gender roles. Clothing provides the ability to embody the non-visible characteristics of a person, which is what I wanted to explore in a playful manner. This piece combines the playfulness of dressing up with illustrative fashion elements within a place that sparks creativity and self-discovery.
Inspiration artwork:
Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983, Oil on vellum
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Sawyer Snowden
Whale Oil, Acrylic on canvas
Commack High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Marie Adamo
My artwork was inspired by Waterfall, Robert Treman State Park, Ithaca, New York by Raymond Germann, whose work was showcased in the Viewfinders: Photographers Frame Nature exhibition. The exhibit featured nature scenes, often speaking to the inherent beauty of nature found untouched. I was inspired by the untamable nature, which Germann captured so beautifully in his photograph. I was inspired not only by the water itself, which guided me into painting an oceanic theme, but by the description’s mention of Edmund Burke’s thoughts on beauty against the sublime. As Germann’s photograph depicts, the great do not seek to be beautiful, the great seek to be dark and gloomy, rugged and negligent, solid and undeniably massive. This is where I drew my composition from, with the focal point of my painting being a massive humpback whale, unfathomably large in real life, and horrifying to witness up close. I also wanted to draw from the contrast in Germann’s photograph, with the dark stone harsh against the white of the water, and so I included a single bright light source against a darker background to draw attention to the center of the work and provide a colored light to break up the blue of the piece.
Inspiration artwork:
Raymond Germann, Waterfall, Robert Treman State Park, Ithaca, New York, 1990, Selenium toned gelatin silver print
From the exhibition:
Viewfinders: Photographers Frame Nature
Alyssa Spano
On Display, Acrylic on canvas
Half Hollow Hills High School West
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Jennifer Ievolo
Living Room (Six Paintings, Four Plates) by Becky Suss caught my attention because it captures great detail while maintaining a simple, illustrative quality. Although it does not include a person occupying the space, the environment conveys information about the person who decorated it and gives insight into their interests and lifestyle. My artwork follows a similar composition that includes multiple paintings on a wall within the image. I considered how the inspiration piece utilized different-sized frames and specifically shaped decor, like the lamp, to create a dynamic composition that still fits together well and occupies the entire canvas. Also similar to Suss’ piece, the artwork on the wall highlights different styles and people in various situations. In my artwork, the miniature works of art highlight my interests and aspects of my personality. The portrait of the man in the hat in Suss’ painting inspired my final small self-portrait. My painting, however, depicts less of an actual setting and more of how I celebrate myself and present myself to the world.
Inspiration artwork:
Becky Suss, Living Room (Six Paintings, Four Plates)
2015, Oil on linen
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Save Me From My Mind, Colored pencil
Half Hollow Hills High School East
Grade: 9, Art Teacher: Kim Norris
Alexithymia is the inability to describe emotions in a verbal manner. Kasmira Mohanty’s work is truly a masterpiece, for when I gaze at her creation, I see more than just the chaos that is meant to fill the scene. Rather, I feel the frustration and rage that words could never describe. Mohanty’s piece prompted me to create art that unraveled the ball of internal confusion and bitter vexation that had been consuming my mind. Through my drawing, I hope to capture that very feeling - the ever-so-consuming rage fueled by frustration that she beautifully illustrated.
Inspiration artwork:
Kasmira Mohanty, Do Everything, Feel Nothing, 2022, Mixed media
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Bhavani Sriram
Michael Struzinski
Dressing for Success, Pencil
Smithtown High School West, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Lee Moran
To me, Hung Liu’s piece, Official Portraits: Proletarian, exhibits a mastery of portraiture, subtly capturing the figure’s situation and mood. Facial expression is a crucial element in conveying the dramatic effect in a portrait, and Liu executes them expertly. I interpreted the color in Liu’s print symbolicallyyellow representing hope for the future and green indicating ambition for money or even health. However, as a proletariat it seems impossible to achieve such great wealth. The background, containing pink flowers, is the emblem for grace and happiness, but the face ironically confirms the opposite, almost soulless and tired. My artwork, Dressing for Success, reflects on my father’s daily routine of working tirelessly to support his family. I drew a connection between Hung Liu’s depiction of new beginnings and the hope for freedom in America, more specifically reflecting on the sacrifices made by my father. Although not forced like Hung Liu, my father’s dedication to providing for his loved ones is evident in his mundane routine of tying his tie and preparing for another laborious day. My illustration portrays the lack of vibrancy in my father’s face with its black and white color palette, reflecting the toll that such work can take.
Inspiration artwork:
Hung Liu, Official Portraits: Proletarian, 2006, Lithograph with collage
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Nora Sweeney-Gladen Gluttony, Ink
Harborfields High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Eugenia Ritter
Neil Leinwohl’s Rule Followers Protected by Social Privilege reminded me of the impurities of desire and how they can transform people into inhumane creatures. In my drawing, I wanted to emphasize the interactions between the “guests” through various techniques of inking. There is wine spilled on a cloak and conversation, while at the same time they are eating more than their share in the vile meal presented to them. The title Rule Followers Protected by Social Privilege was one of the biggest influences on my piece - rule followers protected by social privileges are often characterized as bystanders. I vouched for a different approach, exposing privilege as a means to control humanity, reflected by the rotten food controlling the guests at the table.
Inspiration artwork: Neil Leinwohl, Rule Followers Protected by Social Privilege 2021, Digital From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Ashlyn Thitibordin
Exhale, Pencil
Jericho Senior High School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Tara Pillich
I often find that life can be stifling. With so many tasks to finish and so many deadlines to meet, it can be hard to remember to breathe. This is what drew me to Christine Tudor’s Water Web. As a competitive swimmer, I have spent much of my life underwater, and the air bubbles she illustrated in her piece reminded me what it feels like to exhale underwater; they reminded me what it feels like to relax in an environment that is so full of pressure. I wanted to emulate the eye-catching and complex lights and darks of Water Web. In my own piece, Exhale, I also incorporated the idea of an exhale under pressure, and the release of a held breath.
Inspiration artwork: Christine Tudor, Water Web, 2021, Graphite on paper
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Sophia Tine
Atomic Oil Slick, Digital art
Huntington High School, Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Kasmira Mohanty
My artwork, Atomic Oil Slick, was inspired by Gina Mars’s vessel Portal. What initially captured my attention were the intense undulating colors that seem representative of an oil slick. I also enjoyed the decorative repeating dots on the lid. These two design features were the jumping off point for my work. I began by collecting an assortment of shiny metal objects, a key, whistle, decorative pineapple, candelabra, bell, decorative pointy ball and spoon. I intentionally selected metal objects to emulate the shiny qualities found in the glaze of Mars’s work. I converted each object using repeated mutations, creating individual new design features, unrecognizable from their previous form and function. Like a puzzle, I mixed and matched each element to imitate the organic fluidity of Mars’s application of color. I created a custom color scheme to match the colors of the glazes used on Portal. I strategically painted on top of my assembled elements to give the appearance of an expanding/exploding oil slick. Mars mentions in her statement that the lid is a symbolic portal. I feel as if Atomic Oil Slick has a glowing celestial quality about it, which made me think of space travel and space being a portal to new worlds beyond our own.
I was curious to see how I could take this piece to the next level. I found the answer by creating a GIF animation that explores alternate color palettes in a rotating loop. Scan QR code to watch.
Inspiration artwork: Gina Mars, Portal, 2021, Clay
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Fred Pilkington Award of Achievement
Samantha Urmaza
Vestigial Bones, Acrylic on wooden panel
Harborfields High School
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Elizabeth DeVaney
I was inspired by Jacob Hasimoto’s piece Tiny Rooms and Tender Promises. I loved the whimsical colors, and the individuality of each hexagon. They felt like tiny fragments against the backdrop of a never ending, infinite expanse. I decided to interpret those fragments as shards of pottery. The shards clearly don’t all belong to the same vessel, and yet they seem to be imitating a whole plate– an imposter. I wanted to use my piece to explore my Asian American identity–my struggle with feeling too Asian for the United States and too American for the Philippines. Growing up in a predominantly white community, I often feel disconnected from my culture. This piece was an attempt to capture the feelings of isolation often experienced by secondgeneration immigrants.
Inspiration artwork: Jacob Hashimoto, Tiny Rooms and Tender Promises, 2016, Mixografia print on handmade paper and archival pigment print with pushpins From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Kal Vasconez
Untitled, Marker and ink
South Side High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Chris Karaktin
When I first looked at the collage by Edelstein, I was drawn to the chaos and disorder that captured all of the issues addressed in the work. The colors were calm and soothing despite the horrors that were taking place. This sense of contrast is something that made me want to tackle important issues in my work. I addressed the relevant domestic and international issues in more direct terms rather than the discreet imagery used by Edelstein. I used black ink for every figure to create unity and I also wanted to look more at the issues themselves than the people. I think that without putting faces on the figures, you focus on the problems rather than the individuals. In my drawing the signs act as a representation for groups of people and important issues that deserve more awareness. Creating this drawing has allowed me to think about how I might continue to address possibly sensitive subjects in my art in the future.
Inspiration artwork:
Sally Edelstein, Remembering What Was Forgotten Traumatic Memory
PTSD, and Sexual Abuse, 2020, Hand cut collage appropriated vintage paper images
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Wilder
Catch of the Day, Watercolor on paper
Valley Stream North High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Allan Nafte
I chose Adam Straus’s piece, American Rustic, as inspiration for my artwork because I enjoyed the way he captured the landscape by including so many small details. I also featured smaller details in my painting, specifically in the background while painting the newspaper ads. Painting fine detail is something I really enjoy doing, it requires careful observation and patience.
Inspiration artwork: Adam Straus, American Rustic, 2019, Oil on newspaper and shopping lists adhered to paper
From the exhibition: Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Sarah
Siting Xiao
Animal Kingdom, Copic marker
General Douglas MacArthur High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Deja Gomes-Vance
Shawn McAvoy’s bronze sculpture, Against the Wind, inspired me because the flying eagle made me think of the freedom that is supposed to be given to all animals from birth. Unfortunately, some animals have been deprived of this freedom because of the greedy nature of humans. My drawing, Animal Kingdom contains different endangered animals that were forced to leave their natural habitat due to inhumane activities. My artwork protests the poachers that persecute animals for profit. My artwork is intended to evoke viewers’ emotions for animals, and especially those that are endangered. I hope that with attention, education, and support these animals will once again thrive.
Inspiration artwork:
Shawn McAvoy, Against the Wind, 2020, Bronze
From the exhibition:
Long Island Biennial 2022
Kerry Yeung
The Poison Apple, Acrylic on canvas
Half Hollow Hills High School East
Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Matt Petrucci
My artwork, The Poison Apple, is inspired by Akio Takamori’s Sea Serpent. The facial expression of the man in Takamori’s piece intrigued me because it felt representative of being trapped, in his case, by a snake. In my artwork, I depicted the person with a hopeless face, similarly trapped inside the forest. The apple is poisonous, and was inspired by the danger of the snake’s red tongue in Takamori’s work of art.
Inspiration artwork:
Akio Takamori, Sea Serpent, 2008
Archival inkjet and hand lithography
From the exhibition:
Global Asias: Contemporary Asian & Asian American Art from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Venus Yu
Mountain of Memories, Acrylic on canvas
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School
Grade: 11, Art Teacher: Megan Cashman
Denise Franzino’s breathtaking painting drew me in and inspired me to create my own painting. I was particularly attracted to the color palette and how the lavender hue combined with specks of magenta created an overall balanced and eye-pleasing composition. The trees surrounding the lake, almost as if attempting to hide it away, evoke the memory of a tradition my friends and I share every year. During winter break, a small pond near our elementary school typically freezes over, and when the ice is thick enough, we venture onto it. The pond can’t be found unless you’re looking for it, so we have the freedom to be alone, our peace guarded by a multitude of trees, similar to those in Franzino’s painting. I enjoy the tradition because it feels like my friends and I are the only ones that exist in the universe. This year, many of us were away on vacation and unable to uphold the tradition, so we sent each other pictures in an attempt to preserve a sense of togetherness. I was immediately captivated by a photograph that one of my friends took in Utah, and it reminded me of our tradition. My painting remains true to a single color scheme, similar to Franzino’s painting, with occasional specks of color capable of drawing the viewer in. This painting not only captures the serenity of nature, but also the intention of the photographer to remind our friends that we can still share traditions despite our physical distance.
Inspiration artwork:
Denise Franzino, Golden Hour Over Bridgehampton, 2021, Oil
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Donald G. Horn, Jr. Scholarship Award
Josie Zaccoli
Decay, Digital photograph
Oceanside High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Nanci Nigro
When I first viewed Pat Ralph’s painting of a man laying on the couch, my first thought was a feeling of indolence, that the young man couldn’t be bothered to move out of his lax position. I began to wonder then, what affords us the luxury of relaxation? I thought that wealth might be the driving factor. He has enough resources that allow him to spend his time in ways that those with a lower socioeconomic status cannot. His expression however does not represent that of a person who is enjoying luxury. There is a faraway melancholy in his eyes which inspired my piece. The woman in my photograph is seemingly relaxing in comfort. The use of gold is meant to indicate wealth. She has the same faraway contemplative expression that the man has. This work deals with the struggle to search for a “happiness” that doesn’t quite exist. They both convey loneliness and internal despair as if they are searching for the same thing but believe they are truly alone in their struggle. One of the great downfalls of human nature is the failure to realize how similar we are to one another, therefore isolating ourselves, and never being able to feel quite whole.
Inspiration artwork:
Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983, Oil on vellum
From the exhibition:
Raise the Roof: The Home in Art
Ellia Zhang
Turbulence, Folded paper collage
Herricks High School, Grade: 10, Art Teacher: Alexis Camisa
A sign of god, my mother would always make known as she points outside the car window revealing an explosion in the sky. As if an angel were carrying the weight of the world back up. My world. Clouds painted with warmth, lively and vivid. “It looks like heaven”, she’d say. I brush it off as I’m driven down the road. Driven down the road with paradise above, but everything feels so different. So familiar, but why am I crying? Heaven so far away making itself visible once again. Where are the sirens? The lingering silence longs for the sound of a miracle. Driving back to the home that no longer feels like ours, I roll down the window of the car and rise. My head peeking out, breathing in the air that I so desperately needed. Unknowing of how long I had been suffocating, I inhale the gift of relief and look at the sky once again. The word “goodbye” loosens its grip around my throat, enough for me to utter, “Take a picture. It’s Mimi.” I stared at the piece Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind, unable to understand the tugging sensation on my heart. As if I had seen something similar once before. Light emerged from the chilling stillness of a life altering event, reminding me of the moment my aunt had paused at a red light the evening of my mother’s passing. The perfect moment where the sky was illuminated by the colors of life. Using hand painted watercolor swatches, I was able to create my own interpretation of modern day pointillism. By exaggerating the tones of the sky I had witnessed, my artwork acts as a welcome celebration for my mother, inviting her into eternal bliss. A Japanese legend describes that if one were to fold 1,000 paper cranes, they would be granted one wish. All that I will ever do and live for is dedicated to her until the day that I die. My wish is to make her proud.
Honorable Mention
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Award
Inspiration artwork:
Shain Bard, Driving Into Twilight, Ukraine On My Mind, 2022, Oil
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Natalie Zhou
Junked, Mixed media (Acrylic on board, ink, and plastic wrappers)
Herricks High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Jennifer Cavalluzzo
I chose the piece, And How Does That Make You Feel? created by Jason Aurelio-Thomas because of the array of bright colors presented in this sculptural relief painting. Along with the alluring colors, I also admired the 3D aspects of the artwork as each facet of the sculpture shows off a different neon shade. I decided to use mixed media to create some dimension in my artwork. I chose to work in acrylics and then add actual plastic snack wrapper elements to the piece. Junked displays a clutter of brightly wrapped snacks that portray a sense of realism. Look carefully and see if you can tell which are painted and which are real.
Achievement Award
Inspiration artwork: Jason Aurelio-Thomas, And How Does That Make You Feel?, 2022, Mixed media (steel wire, plaster, plaster cloth, resin, acrylic paint) From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
Alexandra Zlotnikov
You, Me, We?, Collage
Kings Park High School
Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Darlene Blaurock
In the piece Stargazer, I was drawn to the artist’s exploration of selfempowerment and feminism, as well as the relationship between women and men. I first explored the definition of the title Stargazer. A person who is a stargazer is someone who admires the stars, which in a symbolic sense represents a person who looks for guidance. I was also particularly interested in the subtlety of the falling men surrounding the woman in Darlene Blaurock’s piece and how their downfall could represent her empowerment as well as guidance. I chose to create a paper collage because paper exhibits a quality of delicacy, and I hope to show how women are portrayed as dainty; yet, when given the ability to drive their own actions, women hold immense power.
Inspiration artwork: Darlene Blaurock (Darluv), Stargazer, 2021, Mixed media
From the exhibition: Long Island Biennial 2022
AWARDS CEREMONY April 29, 2023
Acknowledgements
77 schools across Nassau and Suffolk Counties submitted artwork for jurying for the 2023 exhibition. Thank you to all of the participating schools, administrators, and teachers for your dedication! Your hard work and support make this exhibition possible.
Amityville Memorial High School
Amityville Union Free School District
Edward Plaia, Principal
Dr. Frances Fernandez, Director of Fine Arts & Music
Jacklyn Breitfeller, Art Teacher
Jayne Grasso, Art Teacher
Heather Rickard, Art Teacher
Cara Westphal, Art Teacher
Babylon Jr. Sr. High School
Babylon Union Free School District
Al Cirone, Principal
Charles Leech, Director of Fine Arts
Cheryl Schweider, Art Teacher
Bay Shore High School
Bay Shore Union Free School District
Stephen Gordon, Principal
Mike Rotello, Cultural Arts Director
Laura Moakley, Art Teacher
Margaret Schultz, Art Teacher
Bayport-Blue Point High School
Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District
Robert Haas, Principal
Frank Salino, Teacher in Charge, High School Art
Bellport High School
South Country Central School District
Erika DellaRosa, Principal
Barbara Gallagher, Art Department Chairperson
Devin Auricchio, Art Teacher
Sophia Black, Art Teacher
Center Moriches High School
Center Moriches School District
Marissa Mangogna, Principal
Jeremy Thode, Assistant Principal
Dan Kudreyko, Art Teacher
Centereach High School
Middle Country Central School District
Tom Bell, Principal
Diana Cook, Director of Art & Music
Shelby Petruzzo, Art Teacher
Chaminade High School
Bro. Joseph Bellizzi, Principal
Sally Zehnter, Fine Arts Department Chair
Justin Accordino, Art Teacher
Shuchao Luo, Art Teacher
Cold Spring Harbor High School
Cold Spring Harbor Union Free School District
Dan Danbusky, Principal
Christine Oswald, District Chairperson
Laura Cirino, Art Teacher
Christine Oswald, Art Teacher
Commack High School
Commack Union Free School District
Carrie Lipenholtz, Principal
Mark Stuckey, Director
Marie Adamo, Art Teacher
Frank Musto, Art Teacher
Comsewogue High School
Central Office Comsewogue School District
Mike Mosca, Principal
Gina Melton, Art Teacher
Connetquot High School
Connetquot Central School District
Michael Moran, Principal
Vincent Malafronte, Director of Fine Arts
John Hargrave, Art Teacher
Division Avenue High School
Levittown Union Free School District
John Coscia, Principal
Frank Creter, Director of Art & Music
Tim Ryan, Art Teacher
East Islip High School
East Islip Union Free School District
Mark Bernard, Principal
Robert Wottawa, Director of Fine Arts
Daniel Figliossi, Art Teacher
Heather Toomey, Art Teacher
East Meadow High School
East Meadow Union Free School District
Richard Howard, Principal
Heather Anastasio, District Art Chair
Brian O'Neill, Art Teacher
East Rockaway High School
East Rockaway School District
Richard Schaffer, Principal
Peter Ceglio, Fine Arts Chairperson
Kelly Cabasso, Art Teacher
Elmont Memorial High School
Sewanhaka Central High School District
Kevin Dougherty, Principal
Chris Yee, Art Department Chairperson
Stella Grenier, Art Teacher
General Douglas MacArthur High School
Levittown Union Free School District
Joseph Sheehan, Principal
Frank Creter, Director of Art & Music
Deja Gomes-Vance, Art Teacher
Glen Cove High School
Glen Cove School District
Antonio Santana, Principal
Allen Hudson, Assistant Principal
Melissa Johnides, Art Teacher
Stephen Lombardo, Art Teacher
LeeAnn Palazzo, Art Teacher
Maria Verni, Art Teacher
Great Neck North High School
Great Neck Union Free School District
Dr. Dan Holtzman, Principal
Dr. Pamela Levy, Director of Fine Arts
Len Antinori, Art Teacher
Joseph Giacalone, Art Teacher
Half Hollow Hills High School East
Half Hollow Hills Central School District
Dr. Milton Strong, Principal
Dr. Darlene Lilla, Director of Fine Arts
Kim Norris, Art Teacher
Janice Pakula, Art Teacher
Matt Petrucci, Art Teacher
Allyson Uttendorfer, Art Teacher
Half Hollow Hills High School West
Half Hollow Hills Central School District
Dr. Michael Catapano, Principal
Dr. Darlene Lilla, Director of Fine Arts
Jennifer Ievolo, Art Teacher
Amanda Montiglio, Art Teacher
Harborfields High School
Harborfields Central School District
Timothy Russo, Principal
Elizabeth DeVaney, Arts Coordinator
Jeanie Ritter, Art Teacher
Hauppauge High School
Hauppauge Union Free School District
Christopher Cook, Principal
Laura Landor, Director of Fine and Performing Arts
Patricia DiMasi-Coppola, Art Teacher
Herricks High School
Herricks Union Free School District
Joan Keegan, Principal
Anissa Arnold, Director of Fine and Performing Arts
Alexis Camisa, Art Teacher
Jennifer Cavalluzzo, Art Teacher
Hicksville High School
Hicksville Union Free School District
Raymond Williams, Principal
Chad Wyman, Supervisor of Fine Arts
Craig Mateyunas, Art Teacher
Huntington Fine Arts
Greenlawn, NY
Lisa Hock Mack, Director
Lenore Hanson, Art Teacher
Huntington High School
Huntington Union Free School District
Brenden Cusack, Principal
Eric Reynolds, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Ayallah Jeddah, Art Teacher
Kasmira Mohanty, Art Teacher
Kristin Singer, Art Teacher
Islip High School
Islip Union Free School District
Lara Gonzalez, Principal
Michael Hershkowitz, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Laura Vogelsberg, Art Teacher
Jericho High School
Jericho Union Free School District
David Cohen, Principal
Ruth Breidenback, CA of Fine & Performing Arts
Bryan Ciminelli, Art Teacher
Tara Pillich, Art Teacher
John F. Kennedy High School
Bellmore-Merrick Central HS District
Gerard Owenburg, Principal
Cheryl Fontana, District Chairperson
Vanessa Albaneze, Art Teacher
Taylor Lodespoto, Art Teacher
Sarah Ritchie, Art Teacher
Kings Park High School
Kings Park Union Free School District
Karen Lessler, Principal
Darlene Blaurock, Art Teacher
Lawrence High School
Lawrence Public School District
Jennifer Lagnado, Principal
John Ballantyne, District Art Coordinator
Janet Ganes, Art Teacher
Lindenhurst High School
Lindenhurst Union Free School District
Candice Brodie, Principal
Jon Trapani, Coordinator of Fine and Performing Arts
Tara Biscardi, Art Teacher
Long Beach High School
Long Beach Union Free School District
Jeffrey Meyers, Principal
Julia Lang-Shapiro, Director of Media, Visual & Perf. Arts
Eric Fox, Art Teacher
Joanne Harvey, Art Teacher
Lorraine Levchenko, Art Teacher
Malverne High School
Malverne Union Free School District
Vincent Romano, Principal
Mike Messina, Fine Arts Chairperson
Nicola Alleva, Art Teacher
Maura Savis-Minor, Art Teacher
Manhasset High School
Manhasset Union Free School District
Dr. Dean Schlanger, Principal
Christopher Hale, Director of the Arts
Lori Oldaker, Art Teacher
Natalya Panullo, Art Teacher
Emily Shank, Art Teacher
Massapequa High School
Massapequa Union Free School District
Barbara Lowell, Principal
Vincent Green, Director of Fine and Performing Arts
Paul Leone, Art Teacher
Miller Place High School
Miller Place Union Free School District
Kevin Slavin, Principal
Elise Stasi, Lead Art Teacher
Mineola High School
Mineola Union Free School District
Nicole Culella, Principal
Karen Bernstein, Supervisor of Fine & Performing Arts
Gina-Marie Buongiovanni, Art Teacher
Jennifer Varvaro, Art Teacher
Mount Sinai High School
Mount Sinai School District
Peter Pramataris, Principal
Christina Romeo, Art and Music Director
Andrea Morganelli, Art Teacher
New Hyde Park High School
Sewanhaka Central School District
Richard Faccio, Principal
Katrin Marino, Art Department Chairperson
Danielle Livoti, Art Teacher
Newfield High School
Middle Country Central School District
Scott Graviano, Principal
Diana Cook, Director of Music, Fine Arts & Media Relations
Sal Berretta, Art Teacher
North Shore High School
North Shore School District
Eric Contreras, Principal
Dalia Rodriguez, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Margaret DeLima, Art Teacher
Lynn Johnson, Art Teacher
Northport High School
Northport-East Northport School District
Robert Dennis, Principal
Dr. Izzet Mergen, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
John DeRosa, Art Teacher
Christine Driscoll, Art Teacher
Anthony Klinger-Cooley, Art Teacher
Oceanside High School
Oceanside Union Free School District
Brendon Mitchell, Principal
Andrew Frey-Gould, Director of Fine and Performing Arts
Maria Anisansel, Art Teacher
Jennifer Bonilla, Art Teacher
Danielle Casquarelli, Art Teacher
Nanci Nigro, Art Teacher
Oyster Bay High School
Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District
Sharon Lasher, Principal
Erica Giglio Pac, Supervisor of Fine & Performing Art
Scott Boris, Art Teacher
Stephanie Miley, Art Teacher
Maria Randazzo, Art Teacher
Patchogue-Medford High School
Patchogue-Medford School District
Dr. Randy Rusielewicz, Principal
Nathan Brinkman, Director of Art, Music and Cultural Arts
Amy Cunningham, Art Teacher
Nicholas Frizalone, Art Teacher
Nancy Gladd, Art Teacher
Paul D Schreiber High School
Port Washington Union Free School District
Kathryn Behr, Principal
Jean Kruger, Director of Creative Arts
Miranda Best, Art Teacher
Joy Di Pasquale, Art Teacher
Nicole Thomas, Art Teacher
Elizabeth Zucker, Art Teacher
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School
Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District
James Murray, Principal
Ben Wiley, Director of Art & Digital Instruction
Jennifer Beinlich, Art Teacher
Linda Curran, Art Teacher
Jenna Silverstein, Art Teacher
Kelly Verdi, Art Teacher
Portledge School
Locust Valley, NY
Simon Owen-Williams, Head of School
John Greene, Department Chair
Jerry Krause, Art Teacher
Roslyn High School
Roslyn Union Free School District
Scott Andrews, Principal
Dave Lazarus, Assistant Principal
Richard Ritter, Art Teacher
Sachem High School East
Sachem Central School District
Louis Antonetti, Principal
Amanda Foran, Art Chairperson
Katrina Wrigley, Art Teacher
Sachem High School North
Sachem Central School District
Andrew Larson, Principal
Amanda Foran, Art Chairperson
Renee Parisi, Art Teacher
Sayville High School
Sayville Union Free School District
Ron Hoffer, Principal
Debra Urso, Art Chairperson
Jennifer Berotti, Art Teacher
Evan Hammer, Art Teacher
Debra Urso, Art Teacher
Shoreham-Wading River
Shoreham-Wading River Central School District
Frank Pugliese, Principal
Samantha Shepard, Art Teacher
Smithtown Christian School
Tracy Berner, Principal
James Roselle, Department Chairperson
Smithtown High School East
Smithtown Central School District
Kevin Simmons, Principal
Michael Mastrangelo, Director of Fine Arts
Christopher Lauto, Art Teacher
Smithtown High School West
Smithtown Central School District
John Coady, Principal
Michael Mastrangelo, Director of Fine Arts
Steven Halem, Art Teacher
Lee Moran, Art Teacher
South Side High School
Rockville Centre School District
Patrick Walsh, Principal
Brian Zuar, Director of Fine Arts
Keith Gamache, Art Teacher
Chris Karaktin, Art Teacher
Paul Sementelli, Art Teacher
St. Mary's High School
Michaela Bownes, Director
Beata Szyszkowska, Art Teacher
Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls
Bluma Drebin, Principal
Suzy Libin, Art Teacher
Syosset High School
Syosset Central District
Dr. Giovanni Durante, Principal
Michael Salzman, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Nicole Oliveri, Art Teacher
Demi Protonentis, Art Teacher
Three Village Academy
Three Village Central School District
Gustave Hueber, Principal
Jen Trettner, Coordinating Chair Art K-12
Jim Swierupski, Art Teacher
Uniondale High School
Uniondale Union Free School District
Mark McCaw, Principal
Kelvin Jenkins, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Brianna Jacobs, Art Teacher
Valley Stream Central High School
Valley Stream Central High School District
Dr. Joseph Pompilio, Principal
Dr. Adam Erdos, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Mario Bakalov, Art Teacher
Valley Stream North High School
Valley Stream Central High School District
Robin Small, Principal
Dr. Adam Erdos, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Allan Nafte, Art Teacher
Valley Stream South High School
Valley Stream Central High School District
Maureen Henry, Principal
Dr. Adam Erdos, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
Ed Lee, Art Teacher
W. T. Clarke High School
East Meadow Union Free School District
Timothy Voels, Principal
Heather Anastasio, Director of Music & Art
Jeannene Arcuri, Art Teacher
Marlena Dentrone, Art Teacher
Waldorf School of Garden City
Roland Rothenbucher, Principal
Anne Cavallaro, Fine Art Teacher
Walt Whitman High School
South Huntington Union Free School District
Kenneth Costa, Principal
Jacqueline Tartaro, Art Chairperson
Erica Raji, Art Teacher
Wellington C. Mepham High School
Bellmore-Merrick Central School District
Anthony DeMartinis, Principal
Cheryl Fontana, Dir. of Fine & Performing Arts
Kelly Desmond, Art Teacher
West Hempstead High School
West Hempstead Union Free School District
Joe Pumo, Principal
Dr. Nichelle Rivers, Dir. of Fine, Perf. & Culinary Arts
Cassie Ross-Dinin, Art Teacher
West Islip High School
West Islip Union Free School District
Anthony Bridgeman, Principal
Eric Albinder, Art & Music Director
Linda Marino, Art Teacher
Westbury High School
Westbury Union Free School District
David Zimbler, Principal
Nidia Keaveny, District-Wide Art Chair
Anthony Abruscato, Art Teacher
Natasha Korzeniewski, Art Teacher
Michelle Perez, Art Teacher
Josh Schimsky, Art Teacher
Sarah St. John, Art Teacher
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School
Great Neck School District
Christopher Gitz, Principal
Karen Cuchel, Art Department Chairperson
Megan Cashman, Art Teacher
Wyandanch High School
Wyandanch School District
Paul Sibblies, Principal
Jill Lewis, Art Teacher
Top to bottom: Eva Diesso, A Moment in Time, Acrylic on canvas, Islip HS, Art Teacher: Laura Vogelsberg; Morgan Giordano, Beyond the Labyrinth, Acrylic on cardboard, Sayville HS, Art Teacher: Evan Hammer.
Education & Visitor Experience
Dr. Bette Schneiderman, Trustee & Chair of Education Committee
Joy Weiner, Director of Education & Public Programs
Kristina Schaaf, Director of Visitor Experience
Lisa Sayedi, Lead Educator & Docent Coordinator
Alyssa Matthews, Museum Educator
2 Prime Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
631.380.3230
Heckscher.org
@heckschermuseum #hmalibest
Front cover: Melisa Li, Myself, Glass etching, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Miranda Best; Back cover: Victoria Libert, Realm, Digital photograph, PatchogueMedford High School, Grade: 12, Art Teacher: Amy Cunningham
Hung Liu, Red Flower Rain, 2017 [detail], Mixed media on panel.
Margaret Minardi, Rabbit Rabbit, 2020 [detail], Colored pencil.
George Barker, Niagara Falls, 1888 [detail], Albumen print.
Pat Ralph, The Visit Home, 1983 [detail], Oil on vellum.
Grace Nah Look Above Acrylic on canvas
Scan QR to watch Grace’s behind-the-scenes footage of her process on TikTok!
Julia Chan It’s Gonna Get Better Mixed media
Scan QR to watch Julia’s behind-the-scenes footage of her process on Instagram!
Aisy Franciscovich Home at the Hearth Oil on canvas