At a young age of five, 7th grader Olivia Pang began her artistic journey. Her parents realized that her art was a gift of sorts and immediately signed her up for art classes. Ever since, she hasn’t left her canvas. 

“My parents wanted me to try art because I really liked it, and at the time, my parents thought I had a lot of potential,” said Olivia P. “I really got into it by watching other people draw. I thought it was really fun to explore art, be creative, and draw new things.”

As a result of her developing talent, she took the opportunity to participate in the Expressions Art Contest where she would go head to head with twenty-one of Day Creek’s best. 

The contest required all participants to express their inner creativity. 6th, 7th and 8th graders gathered up their clay, oil paint, canvases, and brushes to express themselves. After their creations were complete, staff and parent volunteers voted on their favorites, a difficult assignment due to the distinct individuality of each piece.  

“Art is a great way of expressing yourself especially when you can’t get your expressions out, and it usually helps people who have a difficult time coping with really strong emotions,” said Olivia P. 

Olivia’s oil painting, ‘Uniquely American and Chinese’ portrays the dual nature of her cultural history. One half of the picture displays her Chinese heritage, while the opposite side depicts her American experience. 

“I was inspired to do this because as a Chinese, growing up in a Chinese-American community, I was not Chinese enough, but in an American community, I was too Chinese. So, I decided to draw this to represent how I could be both,” said Olivia P. 

Finishing second was 8th grader Isabella C. with her ‘Bundle of Favorites’ sculpture. Growing up, Isabella was limited to only a set of pencils.

“I was trying to display my favorite childhood memories, which is why it was called ‘Bundle of Favorites,’” said Isabella C. “I didn’t have a phone or anything to take pictures so instead I brought paper around to vacation spots or spots where I thought were pretty and I drew them.” 

The DCIS Expression Art Contest offered students, staff, and guests a perspective through the eyes of a middle school artist. Their art reflects the emotions, social life, and environment of a teen. It represents an idea or feeling that may otherwise be tough to understand. An artist has the unique opportunity to convey something that might be overlooked but relatable once displayed on an easel. Viewers might just relate with similar sentiment allowing them to feel seen or heard. 

“I think art is a really good form of creativity. I love how it can make everyone express their feelings. I like seeing other creativities and trying to think about what people are trying to express. People have different ways of trying to open themselves to the world. I think creativity is really important with communication to human life,” said 8th grader, Molin W.

Molin’s art piece and sculpture were intended to convey her idea of reassurance and motivation.  Her art reflects her belief that she was initially underestimated when she arrived which intially resulted in a difficult time in America. Nonetheless, Molin never gave up.  

“I wanted to express my idea of encouraging everybody to grow themselves, develop their hobbies, and to not care too much about what other people think about them. When I first came to America, everyone thought I didn’t understand English. It was a hard time for me. After I made new friends, I started thinking about how I shouldn’t be shy just because I don’t understand English, and I started trying to be positive in any situation,” said Molin W.