Tri-City Art

As I grow older and experience more on my own, I realize that my hopes differ from the goals my parents have set for me. I wish that their expectations ...

My entry explores the emotional and psychological landscape of an individual living with Alzheimer’s disease. Inspired by my grandfather’s experience and my grandmother’s role as his sole caregiver, the piece ...

This artwork is inspired by hope, because it is about acceptance and peeling away layers to share my real self is as male. It is about me opening myself up ...

My piece depicts my mom and me in a sunlit living room. I drew myself as a child watching my mother work to combine all of our different cultures and ...

This artwork shows a peaceful protest where people stand together holding signs, flowers, and flags instead of weapons. Their raised fists and calm presence emphasize nonviolent resistance and collective strength. ...

The deer represents the commodification of animals in human society, the belief that animals exist only for the pervasive needs or wants of humanity — for food, clothes, entertainment, spectacle, ...

My painting represents not being afraid to express yourself. When you start being yourself, your world begins to light up and you start to shine like a star. I want ...

My painting focuses on the irony of machismo in Mexican culture involving the Virgin Mary (Aka the Virgen de Guadalupe). The Virgin Mary is a staple in Mexican society and ...

In February 2025, a Russian drone strike hit the protective dome covering the original sarcophagus over the reactor site of Chernobyl. With the upcoming rainy season, radioactive particles could escape ...

To me, support is the most important part of improving your mental health. Whether it’s emotional, physical, financial, or any other form of support, it’s all someone needs. Support can ...

My piece is about LGBTQ+ pride in the face of an increasingly homophobic and transphobic administration and society. The current political climate has made it harder to be queer or ...

The scars below the chest signify a trans individual who was able to pursue their transition, despite the many hardships they undoubtedly faced. The eyes on the chest signify defiance ...

Whenever I feel like I can’t deal with anything, I search my house until I find one of my cats. I pet and cuddle them until I feel like I ...

Something that helps me while I’m going through a tough time or feeling overwhelmed is gardening. Gardening makes me more patient and mindful, providing me a space to reflect and ...

My artwork focuses on the lack of educational opportunities for young farmworkers. I wanted to represent themes of education, health/environmental issues, and social justice for farm workers. As a Latina, ...

This painting shows a small corner of my bedroom which houses my makeshift art studio. Art is my anchor. It is something I enjoy, and it feeds my soul.

A consistent nightly routine grounds me after a tiring day at school. I find that the simple things like eating a snack, reading a book, and getting to bed at ...

Along with painting, baking is one of my favorite hobbies. Baking has taught me how to appreciate things, to have patience, and also to recognize all the ingredients of my ...

My entry represents different civil rights issues that impact me, my family, and my friends. I wanted to symbolize that people and peaceful protests make their mark on the world ...

This piece highlights the importance of peaceful protest. Like Dolores Huerta, it shows the resilience minorities have when they work together nonviolently. There are so many movements that fight for ...

My entry for the hope category is to highlight the efforts of firefighters. This month the California fires have destroyed over 10,000 homes and pose a very dangerous risk to ...

Music can be a way to express yourself and let things go. When you express yourself through lyrics or singing you have a chance to be heard and relate to ...

My drawing represents an exaggerated version of how I feel when I listen to music in my alone time. It makes me very happy and uplifted, it energizes me to ...

Plant growth in Antarctica has skyrocketed in recent years, an indication that the world’s climate is permanently changing, and a harrowing reminder of the severity of climate change

My piece is about the feeling of societal regression and the fear of losing safety and human rights.

Having hope is very important in staying positive and lifting up others

My piece is about how art has given me a space to be who I am and who I will be in the future. Drawing has been a huge stress ...

I painted myself enjoying a leisure activity in my grandma’s house back in China. My piece demonstrates my cultural ties and my life experiences in a physical space, all of ...

My entry is a representation of moments with family that bring people together and impact how we become who we are as people.

My art piece is meant to bring justice and awareness to those living in poverty. In the picture, you can see people with blank faces walking past an alley that ...

We’ve all heard that it’s okay to be different, however it doesn’t always feel that way. This piece is a metaphor about how in a sea of people, or in ...

My artwork is about how music can bring joy and hope. I wanted to capture the energy of playing an instrument, the way it feels to finally nail playing your ...

Such a large number of bees and other pollinators are being unnecessarily killed due to toxic pesticides that so many people are unaware can contaminate them in a number of ...

Air pollution has been a prevalent problem throughout my life, and respiratory health concerns should be taken seriously. My childhood home was located in a high-pollution area, and I would ...

People of color, poor people, and other minorities are disproportionately criminalized, which is unjust.

It’s incredibly disheartening how school shootings are almost normalized now. They happen, we talk about them for a few days, and then everyone goes back to normal until it happens ...

The woman I was drawing wasn’t going to be able to finish high school with a child, but through many revisions decided she would find success rather than failure. Many ...

My art symbolizes coming out for queer people. As more and more people and forms of media become more accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community, there is more hope.

My entry is a watercolor painting of a person helping a friend climb up a hill. I decided to show these two people in the outdoors because, a lot of ...

This piece shows just how much we are invested in our screens. The fish in the bowl represents how people have small attention spans from social media. The skeleton represents ...

I tried to inspire a social media trend that focuses more on sharing our mental health and less on looks. The purpose of the trend is to encourage others to ...

Moving to a new school in a different district was pretty hard at the start. I had gone to school with people I’ve known since kindergarten and all of a ...

My entry for ‘You Are Never a Bother’ is a piece that is very personal to me. I was able to positively change someone’s life, and I asked that person ...

In light of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the heartbreaking reality of violence and loss of innocent lives (especially among children) is deeply distressing. Regardless of one’s perspective on the conflict, ...

Music impacts my mental health positively, especially when I am feeling down. I can relate to lyrics and feel understood when I listen to a song. Music guides me through ...

Music can connect people or make us feel connected to others. Music can lift spirits, give us energy, and touch our souls, which in turn improves our mental health. My ...

“My ‘Hope’ entry is meant to represent what I’ve become post-pandemic. It shows how screens, like my cellphone, have affected my life. It feels like I’m being sucked in and ...

“My piece is a representation of my anchor in life – my pets. Life can be stressful at times, but the simple presence of an animal is immediately calming; it’s ...

“My mother has always been someone I can rely on and brings me happiness. She is always available to offer me guidance and console me when I’m going through a ...

My art reflects upon the idea of young people being seen and heard with their mental health. I feel as though many young people aren’t taken seriously when it comes ...

Growing plants is a big part of a world that supports my mental health so I drew a person gathering dirt around a new plant that curls into a green ...

My artwork shows one person handing a “text HOPE” card to another person. The piece is meant to show how offering help, or where to get help and noticing when ...

I drew a digital news article which discusses the bad treatment Palestinians are facing. For the main “article” art piece I drew the Palestinian flag, with the keffiyeh pattern, which ...

Content warning: About violence and contains content that might be activating. “I wanted to discuss both violence and concerns related to mental health. Violence in the workplace, in schools, and ...

This is my version of Michelle Yeoh winning an Oscar at this year’s award ceremony. Her message of hope was inspiring. I added in some celebratory aspects, and animated the ...

For this project, I used acrylic paint and water to paint a recently hatched butterfly and its chrysalis. The butterfly has a rainbow pattern to represent the rainbow LGBTQ flag. ...

After reflecting upon actions that can be made by young people to better the environment, I thought that reusable bags would be a unique concept to highlight. In this day ...

To the viewers of my artwork, I’d like for everyone to take a first glance, and see a coral reef. Then, I want the viewers to look closer, and see ...

The concept behind my artwork is fast fashion and the many cases of abuse to which it is connected to. What my artwork represents is a teen who is saddened ...

“For 2023 I wish that stereotypes stop defining who we are as a person, and we are defined by our own selves no matter what ethnicity. I wanted to include ...

“My submission represents my hopes for 2023. I’m graduating high school during the 2023 year, so I wanted to emphasize this as the focus point since it will be the ...

“My piece is meant for the monthly prompt category, which could have been interpreted in different ways. The route I went with has changed because for the new year, I ...

“Something that always gives me hope for the future is my cat, Mickey. He was rescued off the streets of Malibu, California and then brought to a shelter East of ...

“Destition: Movie shows how film can be a temporary escape from reality.”

My painting “Recovering” is about my anchor. Last year after coming back to school and getting involved with several school activities, I had some problems with mental health- overthinking stuff, ...

With this piece, my goal was to show a runner escaping a cluster of chaotic things. Running has been my “anchor” over the past few months, so I decided to ...

My entry is about the recent overturning of Roe V. Wade. On the canvas, there is a television playing a news coverage of a protest fighting against the overturning. The ...

In this artwork, I aspire to instill a feeling of hope; as although the figure is presented with limited categories to force themself into, they still chose to be themself. ...

My artwork shows a group of Asians protesting to get justice for them, you can see in the middle picture I have a picture frame of a woman, she is ...

My entry depicts a group of women known as the “Harvard Computers” who worked at the Harvard Observatory for a man med Edward Charles Pickering. In 1877, Pickering became the ...

This piece is about the hope and resilience of the Ukrainians in the War raged by Russian leader, President Vladimir Putin. When the war first began many photographers and jourlists ...

I have a friend who is always upbeat and radiates positivity; she is a person who makes everyone around her feel good. She not only supports and consoles me but ...

“I chose to show my gratitude towards rain. Rain for many people including myself, is a very special thing, especially living in Southern California.”

“I wanted to share how being around ture is a great comfort to me. I think it’s important to recognize the importance of appreciating ture, as well as taking care ...

“I hope when people see my art piece, they can think ‘Oh, I just need to reach out’ for mental health help.”

“My artwork is inspired by the overwhelming pollution in the ocean that affects the life of sea animals.”

“You’re not alone; if you turn around to look in all directions you’ll see that there are people like you who feel isolated and sad.”

“As people fight for justice across the world they look towards the symbol of Lady Liberty in their fight and I feel as though this is an important concept that ...

“Rosalind Franklin was a woman who made exceptiol contributions to the discovery of the double-helical structure of D, however, it wasn’t until recently that her me became widespread, which teaches ...

A watercolor piece about the mental health of soldiers and veterans.

A watercolor piece sharing the tiol Suicide Prevention Lifeline and showing a youth reaching out.

“There is polluted air in the sky, and mountains made of trash on the ground, with one shining bright green plant that survives and grows through all those circumstances.”

“I am inspired by migrant workers that work so hard to provide. Justice and equality for the migrants is crucial for getting them the quality of life they deserve.”

“Warm Embrace is an artwork I created where there are two people coming together for a hug and there is a caring moment between the two.”

“My piece is about the feeling of vulnerability and social anxiety, about how it feels for me when I try to pass off that I’m fine and how I feel ...

“The meaning of the piece represents prejudice and stereotypes always following the individual in the portrait, the individual being Hispanic and Latino. Instead of letting these stereotypes control their life ...

“During the transition of coming back to school (in-person), I felt I lost my sense of balance which set me and my plants to wilt and burn a bit. Something ...

“My idea focuses on an advantage of returning to school- the ability to connect with friends, and the support and relief friends can provide.”

“The glass represents things falling apart and shattering but also being free and the toys relate back to a time when one was a child. My world feels like there ...

“Persolly, music is really helpful for me at school and other places because it has the power lighten my mood and condition.”

“In these hard times a way that I’ve coped with these times is riding my bike.”

“This piece represents the power of music. Specifically, how it can take you to different worlds, somewhat becoming an escape from the stresses of reality.”

“Even though they need to wear masks and have a tough workload in school, they are happy about having social interactions and having normal days with friends. The present box ...

“I wanted to express how there is hope for those who are struggling in their lives and are desperate for help and may not know where to look.”

“I drew two friends wearing masks walking toward the finish line and balloons with reminders of last year’s quarantine. They are happy to be together in person.”

“When I feel overwhelmed or anxious, I like to read a bit to get out of my head and out of my own world and into another. It isn’t always ...

“My idea was to capture the tranquility of music and its feeling of calmness and peace, even in times of hardship.”

“All of the figures in my drawing represent me and my many thoughts, sometimes overwhelming me. The figure being lifted up reaching for the stars symbolizes hope.”

“I was inspired by what I felt on the day of the January 6 insurrection. Watching the extremists march into the capitol building and walk over our democracy with that ...

“I think more times than not deciding the verdict for a court case is made using someone’s biased views, that someone’s emotions (the heart) are used to decide someone’s fate ...

“What I am grateful for is my cat, Ora. She has been with me through thick and thin. I love my cat and I’m grateful for her being by my ...