Six students in art classes taught by Ms. Marvina Lowry-Brook were recently honored with awards from the Massachusetts Art Education Association.

Kevin Pham ’26, Alissa Zhao ’28, Gabriella Burgos ’26, Joy Xu ’27, Wilbur Chen ’28 and Sara Di Pangrazio ’27 had their respective pieces displayed at a statewide exhibit titled: “Youth Art Month Virtual Exhibit, The World Needs Art,” with Kevin and Alissa winning awards.

Kevin’s “Slum” was a sculpture made of recycled cardboard and wooden sticks.

“The inspiration behind this piece comes from my childhood,” Kevin explained. “My mother and I spent those years living together in a rather old apartment. With this work, I wanted to look back on my own past while also celebrating the nostalgic charm of the old apartment buildings scattered across Vietnam.”

Alissa also created a sculpture, using paper straws for her artwork titled “Change.”

“I explored how an object’s state transforms along a linear sense of time,” Alissa said. “I used repeated leaf shapes to construct a flame-like sculpture, expressing how a substance can exist in different states at the same moment. 

“Receiving this award means a lot to me, as it is my first time exploring the concept of time in my work and using sculpture as an expression medium. This process taught me a great deal and inspired me to continue experimenting with new forms of expression.”

Additionally, Alissa won a certificate for her watercolor “Demon Fox.” Also, Gabriella, Joy, Wilbur and Sara received certificates.

Gabriella’s “The Way” sculpture repeated “the same shape over and over again. The shape is from a lamp I own.” 

Joy won a pair of certificates, using gouache to create a piece called “Chicken” and the other “Fish.” Sara used a pencil to draw “Siblings,” while Wilbur created a polyester dress named “Golden Scales.”