While you are walking down the hallway with your eyes on your phone and your mind elsewhere, you might not notice that the person you pass by has been nominated for Utah’s biggest high school art show, all the way in Springville. 3000 pieces were submitted, of which, 300 pieces were selected.  5 of them were made by Alta students: Lucy, Joshua, Tinsley, Clara, and Hannah. The talented minds of your peers have led their works to be discovered by the state itself. But what exactly led them to creating these outstanding, original works?

Most of the students follow a sustained investigation question that guides them through their works and creates a collection following a specific theme. Two of the nominees are from AP Photography.  Lucy’s nominated self-reflection piece “Self Portrait” focuses on the idea of perfectionism and how she struggles with it. She emphasizes the personal connection between self and art, and how that has become her inspiration.

 “Art is what makes the world go round,” Lucy says in response to why art is so important in today’s society. Joshua’s piece “Earth through Personification” on the other hand, follows an environmentalist theme through personifying Earth, wanting to make a statement.

“What if Earth was a person?” Joshua asks. “How do fears about environmental issues and societal pressures impact the mental and physical well-being of humans?” He worries that “humans tend to forget about Earth’s beauty and strengths.” 

Could your work be accepted next? How?

 “Try some new things, and don’t be afraid to be creative,” Joshua encourages. “Let your creative mind go free and haywire. Be confident. Make a statement.”

 “Just create,” Lucy says. “Get out there and create.” What could our community do to support artists in this world?

 “Create more education access and make it more known,” Joshua suggests, in favor of having a “creative outlet”.

 Lucy felt “supported through [her] teachers and [her] peers”. She emphasizes that “finding a good community of people who are there to help you, give you ideas, encourage you, and execute your art is so important.” Having this many Alta artists’ works be accepted to Springville is an impressive feat of its own, but the opportunities given by the school is what brought these works to life.