2022-2023

Merrimack Valley

Winners

Middle School

Mika’s Artist Statement: “When thinking of kids around the world, I imagined them in totally different conditions. Looking at the temperatures for the hottest and coldest places that people live in, I really couldn’t imagine how it would feel in 120 or -72 degrees fahrenheit. I got inspiration from the book “All In a Day” written about the lives of kids throughout the globe on the same day. So on my paper, I demonstrated the differences within people from different areas by drawing three people. The person in the center is me in cold and hot weather, split into two. The other two people are kids from other countries and continents, one surviving extreme cold temperatures and the other surviving in extreme heat. With bold words stating “Kids Around The Globe” and writing “VS. ME” I made it very clear that I'm comparing the experience of kids around the world and my experience. I worked and focused on the facial expressions of the people and the main color of the two sides clearly showing cold and hot with blue and red. I hope that people can understand the differences of experience with different people around the world.”

Megan’s Artist Statement: “I choose to address my challenge question, how are your experiences with extreme temperatures different from kids in other places around the world, by showing the extreme temperatures from my location, Westford Massachusetts and Tallahassee Florida. I choose to focus on extreme cold which mainly happens during a polar vortex. A polar vortex occurs when the jet stream becomes unstable. It dips down bringing cold temperatures to usually warm places such as Florida. The polar vortex has brought temperatures down to -29 degrees Fahrenheit in Westford and -2 degrees Fahrenheit in Tallahassee. I know -2 degrees Farenhiet may not feel like a lot to those who live in New England but “The Sunshine State” wasn’t prepared for it. For example, their pipes will often freeze. Due to climate change we may see extreme temperatures like this more often. The temperature at the poles is rising much faster than the rest of the world causing the polar vortex to dip down into warmer areas because the difference in temperatures from high latitude to low is going down. Most people think that climate change is just global warming, but it's much more than that. Climate change includes extreme hot and cold as well as droughts, heavy rain, hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildf res. When I learned this it changed my view on climate change: weather isn’t just getting hotter, but more extreme. I hope others realize that climate change has a huge impact on their daily life and their homes.”

High School

Mahyun’s Artist Statement: “The picture shows people preparing for a flood both indoors and outdoors. Inside, a person stocks the box with water which to be used in an emergency. A worker outdoors is installing a flood warning sign for making sure people are aware of the floods, and two workers are checking flood water barriers so that water can be easily blocked in case of flooding. Workers on the roof of the house cover the roof with a plastic awning to prevent water from leaking into the roof of the house in case of flooding. People are preparing for floods in different ways. The reason why I chose this topic is that I wanted to show how various people prepare for floods in one picture, and I wanted to let people know that there are many ways to prepare for floods in advance. Floods, which are so common that 90 percent of natural disasters are said to be floods, have great aftereffects. In order to minimize damage, like in this art, it is necessary to prepare for floods in advance. Even inside the house, a radio and emergency kit are built like the first part of the picture and outside the house, there is a risk of flooding due to poor construction, so fix it in advance like the other parts.”

Madeline’s Artist Statement: “I addressed public transportation running in severe weather. Where I live, our storms aren't very severe. They are strong, but not severe. So much so, that a majority of the time, schools would still be open, meaning busses would be as well. The message I conveyed was how school bus operators take precautions to ensure the safety of others during a rainstorm. They make sure they keep their windshield wipers on, pick up kids earlier in the morning, keep their lights on both inside and outside the bus, and drive slowly, being careful to obey all rules of the road. I never took a bus to school until recently last year. It was a great learning moment for me because I got to learn how the school bus transportation system works based on a few things like hearing the radio conversations between bus drivers. I learned what bus drivers can and cannot do, how cars should react to a bus, how bus drivers should react in emergencies, etc. Before the composition of my piece, I knew I wanted to have a dark scene with heavy rains. I also wanted the vehicle to be closest to the camera as it was the focus.”

Yujia’s Artist Statement: “In this piece, to address the prompt, instead of drawing someone getting ready for a flood, I made it feel like the viewer would need information on how to get prepared for one. This way, I could teach others. In my work, I'm showing the viewer a mix of the different tips they should know during a flood mixed with visuals. I want to convey the importance of being alert and understanding what to/not to do. I stylized the piece in a cartoony but "serious" way with bright colors to signify that the information is relevant and worth understanding. I also made the words in caps to further convey the importance and draw attention. I made the outlines thick to make the piece bold to stand out. This competition encouraged me to try highlights and use lines of different thicknesses to add dynamic. Experimenting with those materials for this piece helped me expand the range of art supplies I use. I hope that with this piece, people will learn what to do during a flood and know what scientists recommend. I want people to know because everyone needs to have this knowledge in case they ever encounter one in their lifetime. Lastly, I have learned more about what to do during a flood. I learned that supplies are necessary because a flood can last longer than I initially expected. The cartoony style inspired me, and my desire to teach what I know inspired me further.”

Caoilinn’s Artist Statement: “The challenge I chose was draw someone who is getting ready for flooding where you live. I addressed this by researching flood preparation and creating a diagram of someone's home while they are preparing for flooding. Through my work I am trying to show flooding is a serious threat that requires preparation in order to stay safe. I wanted to make the objects in my work simplistic and minimalistic but detailed enough so viewers still know what they’re looking at. Because this design is supposed to be 24 by 9, I had to challenge myself to work with a wide canvas, when I usually stick to squares or portrait canvases. I hope by seeing my work people will learn basic ways to prepare for flooding. I also hope it will encourage people to do their own research on flooding if they hadn’t thought of it previously. I learned a lot about flooding, one thing that I learned was when preparing for a flood, you should disconnect your electricity and gas. This makes sense, but it isn’t something I would have thought of prior to researching. The colors of the sky during a storm inspired the color palette I chose, which included a variety of purples and grays. Every other color I used had a purple undertone to create a unified feeling across the piece.”

Merrimack Valley

Runner-Ups

Elementary School

Zoya’s Artist Statement: “This year, the challenge question I chose was: “How might your experience with extreme temperatures be different than other kids around the world?” I addressed this question by creating artwork that shows the temperatures in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere at certain times. My artwork shows that hemispheres and seasons affect whether it’s snow or shine. Here is an explanation about why. My title is “North vs. South”, because I’m trying to show the difference between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere at certain times. For instance, in the first box, the Northern Hemisphere is in summer. But in the Southern Hemisphere, our summer means winter. A common theory is that is does not snow in the Southern Hemisphere. But in areas further from the equator, it does, which is why I showed someone sledding to display this. Moving on. The same goes for spring and fall. In the North, we have fall, but the south’s “fall”, is actually spring. With my artwork, I’m trying to show that because of the place and time, the weather can vary. I used my materials in a new way this year, because I used sharpies for an old-school effect. I learned a lot through the creation of this artwork, and by reading this, I hope you can too. Thanks, and have a great day.”

Middle School

Arya’s Artist Statement: “Have you ever had to live in a heatwave? Well I have, and my picture is showing you the difference between how kids here in my area, and kids in Africa deal with a heatwave. In my artwork the message that I was trying to convey is that not everybody has everything they want. Some people can't even afford to stay safe in such temperatures. The thing that I hope people learn from my artwork is the fact that some people don't have the means of staying out of the heat. Especially during a heatwave when it is extremely hot and this type of temperature requires you to stay hydrated. But even when they don't have much drinking water, they still find a way to stay cool in the beating sun. When I started creating my artwork, the one thing that inspired me the most was that even though, again as I said, some people don't have anything to keep safe, they still find at least one thing to keep them cool. While learning about heat waves, I learned that in Europe some people don't have air conditioners in their houses. I also learned that their houses aren't built to sustain hot temperatures. I hope you liked and learned something while looking at my artwork and thank you for considering my submission.”

Rhea’s Artist Statement: “People in different places live in different climates with different weather. Weather can be dangerous, especially extreme temperatures and weather. Here in Massachusetts, there is the occasional heatwave up to around 90° Fahrenheit, but some places get over 110° Fahrenheit.The coldest temperature reached in Massachusetts is -18° Fahrenheit while a polar vortex that occurred recently in December 2021 reached at least -48° Fahrenheit, at its lowest. Some days we think are cold, is like summer weather for other places, due to global warming. People who live without the consequences of global warming don't understand what people are dealing with. Perhaps if they knew that their actions are what is causing this weather and is causing others to die, they could do something about it. Many people are trying to stop the issue of global warming and the spread of extreme weather. I was inspired to create this artwork by the documentaries and newspaper articles I've read as I researched what the extreme temperatures are. I learned about heat waves and polar vortexes. How polar vortexes are low pressure areas with frigid air circling around polar regions. Polar vortexes normally occur during the winter, and are kept at the poles by polar jet streams. These temperatures are dangerous and create death and destruction. If this continues, who knows what extreme temperatures will create.”

Sidrah’s Artist Statement: “In my artwork, I depicted a kid in different places around the world-Siberia, Massachusetts, and India. She's dealing with different temperatures and is prepared in different ways. In Siberia, she has to do lots of work to support her family through the sub-zero temperatures, and she still has to go to school. Meanwhile, here, we have a thermostat that can change the temperature inside our houses at any time. Plus, there's no school, whether it's too hot or too cold. We can still enjoy ourselves inside. In India, it's EXCESSIVELY hot, and she still has to go to school. The number of wildfires are increasing, consequently, the only way to cope is by drinking more water than usual. There are extreme temperatures happening everywhere. The weakening polar vortex, the heat waves, they're all changing temperatures in different ways, some of which are hard to get through. I was inspired by how so many people have different experiences than me. If one person went through all of these experiences, only then could they understand it all. That's why the same person is in every area, looking through another kid's perspective. In India and Siberia, they're roughing it out and they have no permanent way of changing their situation. Meanwhile, we're able to relax and unwind in our houses. The stark difference stood out to me, and I wanted to highlight it. Hopefully, people will soon start to learn the dangerous effects of extreme temperatures.”

High School

Dylan’s Artist Statement: “In my work “Last Stop: Utopia” I was inspired by my current home in New York City and wanted to capture the darker and more emotional consequences of a severe storm. In this piece, I tried to emphasize the gloomy environment of a city experiencing an intense rain shower while contrasting it with the spotlight of the streetlamp that highlights the woman with the umbrella. I did this mainly with the use of different color tones and saturations to provide contrasting visuals. I kept the woman in grayscale in reference to the Great Depression Era in the 1930s. The woman thus shows the hardships of facing a storm for those who are economically challenged. The composition and title were meant to capture the hospitable qualities of public transportation for those in need. The bus represents the help and support that public transport provides. I also specifically chose to use yellow for the umbrella as it acts as a bright contrast of color that emphasizes the feeling of hope which I wanted to convey through this piece. With the woman facing away from us, it represents how she is moving on and taking a path into the unknown, despite the challenges of the storm she faces. In this piece, the storm is more representative of challenges in life as a whole. I hope that from my piece, people will understand the necessity and importance of public transportation for those in need, especially in times of crisis.”

Supanun’s Artist Statement: “Public transports, such as buses and trains, are the necessities for the community. Furthermore, to have transits that can function properly, safely, and conveniently in storms is equally essential. When I was in Thailand, public transport systems were terrible. Buses and trains have been used for decades without any changes or renovations. As a result, whenever there are severe storms or heavy rain in Thailand, buses are out of service. On the other hand, when I moved to study in Canada, I was surprised by the convenience and development of buses. Therefore, I created this artwork to portray my first impression about bus systems in Canada in winter, 2021. As demonstrated in the art piece, there is not only snow everywhere on the streets but also boisterous. Despite the horrible weather, the bus is still in service for the public. Consequently, these mass conveyances enable workers to go to work, children to go to school, and people to go back home or spend their money on restaurants or groceries. In other words, it allows people to spend their everyday life as usual, which contributes to the nation's economic prosperity and society welfare. Thus, being able to use public transport during severe storms or adverse weather is crucial. In conclusion, the community or the nation needs to provide transportation service, such as buses and trains, for the population since many benefits are introduced by this. Not only will the people be able to use their everyday life as usual, it also contributes to the growth in the nation's economics and society well-being.”