2021 Art Congress

The prompt for 2021 Art Congress is creative citizenship. This concept asks high school students to explore and identify the countless ways in which individuals and groups contribute valuable ideas, services and resources to government and the community.

View the gallery of submissions below.

Go to the Civic Engagement main page.

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"My vision of creative citizenship shows how we as citizens should contribute to our city, even if it is in the littlest way."
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"I believe that a creative citizen does not have to be someone special. It can be anyone as long as they find a way to contribute to a better society."
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"My creative citizenship represents how we should all be towards one another. By being cruel and mean makes you the weakest. Those who are filled with good energy are the ones we should be dedicated to, including ourselves."
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"To me, a creative citizen is someone who uses their talent or skill(s) to help other people in their community or even do anything they can to make someone smile and feel happy."
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"This is a painting of Robert Smith, and I chose to paint him because his music and visuals brought a lot of people who may have felt like outcasts together to enjoy something new."
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"Because Hispanics are one of the minority groups that are less represented, we gather together as a community. For example, Mexicans dance folkloric during festivals. Because we come from Spanish speaking countries, news networks such as Univision 45 provide news in Spanish. Most Hispanics are Roman Catholic, so churches are built in order to practice their religion. Mexicans are proud of their flag and their culture."
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"The way my piece portrays creative citizenship is, even if you are going through hard times in life, there is someone who inspires you to experience more of life and not give up on yourself. I decided to draw what this person has done for me in my life. The book and the drawing of a girl standing on a cliff represent me going through a hard time wanting to end it all. However, the objects 'outside' the book are a few of my achievements, goals and hobbies I have done in my life. Without this person, I would not be able to do many things I would not imagine doing or experience."
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"For many years and even today, people struggle for equality and peace. In this composition, I show the beautiful side of this African American women and how it should be, but the reality of it is the other darker side. Black Lives Matter. We are all from the same race, the human race, and we all deserve love and peace."
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"Creative citizenship to me is making an impact in a community in a unique way."
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"People often need help during the pandemic. Many people lost their jobs and don't have enough money to buy food. People should help others in need."
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"Being a creative citizen means using all that you have learned, whether it be scientific or a field of art, to shape our city, our state and the lives of others."
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"Creative citizenship can be perceived in various ways and techniques. As seen from my piece, the usage of every day resources and incorporating these items into helping our environment can serve as a manner on how creative citizenship can benefit our community. If one were to reuse objects in an artistic and inventive manner instead of disposing of them, our community would not only be environmentally stable but also aesthetically pleasing."
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"A creative citizen is someone who puts an effort in their life to make the life of others better. A hard worker who is passionate and loving of the things they do and overcomes obstacles and ensures they can reach their goals."
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"My version of a creative citizen is someone who takes initiative in their community but most importantly, they are someone who represents the community. And they are proud to represent the community."
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"A creative citizen is someone that helps in the community and is a great example of what all people should do."
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"In class we talked about how graffiti artists and their work weren’t considered art at all back in the past, so I took inspiration from that. Creative citizenship is making art for a community, and to me graffiti artist do that. But this drawing also has personal meaning to me; my father paints buildings for a living, and he inspires me everyday, so I made something that reminds me of him."
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"When creating this piece, I thought of the many things that drive people apart and how we identify ourselves based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, etc. So I decided to mash it all together. I drew the world as the LGBTQ+ flag to represent that we may be different, but we are all the same, and love should be spread throughout the world no matter our differences. Also, I drew two hands, each one representing a different race with writings on them that drive those two hands apart to their color and how they identify themselves with a blue ribbon connecting them. I chose a blue ribbon because the color represents unity and peace. Finally, I drew the background as space to represent that this whole ordeal of peace and unity and acceptance for just being ourselves is far out of our reach."
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