 "Scotty Doesn't Know" by August Burgess. By Anya Shukla August is a self-taught artist from Atlanta, Georgia, who joined the MTAC program’s visual arts cohort. He participated in the program over Zoom and worked towards a reflective “self-portrait” final project over the course of five meetings. August had never created a self-reflective piece before and was excited to push himself to explore a new aspect of visual arts. Throughout the program, August enjoyed journaling; writing down his thoughts helped him determine what his artwork should focus on and its color scheme.
0 Comments
 Artwork by Liliana Awal. By Nickole Munoz and Anya Shukla Liliana joined the MTAC in-person visual arts cohort as an incoming freshman in high school. Throughout the program, they worked with their mentor, Luna, to develop several pieces related to their identity and personal experiences. Liliana is a self-taught artist who has always enjoyed art and crafting—they enjoy the process of turning an object that appears like garbage into something beautiful. For example, they once decorated a container lid with a hot glue gun to create a “3D collage” effect. However, they have not had access to art classes or supplies in the past and enjoyed having a space through MTAC to focus on creating.
As her husband's cold fingertips caress her face, all she could think of is the green leaves from the tree branches of her childhood backyard. A sight she burned into her eyes as the leaves danced with the wind, whispering into her ears, calling her into the woods. She can taste the faint iron in her mouth, and the wind is starting to turn sharply into the west, pointing to the sun, where it hid behind the ocean and the sacred door that protected her people from the outside. She sat criss-crossed on the grass, her rose-pink party dress getting wet from the recent sprinklers. Her thoughts and dreams were too big to fit into her nature journal, years' worth of sketches, trees, and plants, that could never be enough for what she needed. The trees start to smudge, focused lines slowly mixing into one another, an image she always could see clear as day becoming a memory. Excerpt from "Prologue to Chrysalis" by Ashley Catalan By Anya Shukla Ashley is a self-taught writer who moved from Nevada to California to attend Chapman College. The arts are integral to her life and college experience: at Chapman, she majors in Music Education and minors in English. She has always enjoyed expressing herself artistically; nothing else gives her the same feeling that art does. Although Ashley plans to work in music in the future, she joined MTAC as a way to further build and explore her passion for writing.
By Anya Shukla Tacoma native Olivia has been immersed in the arts ever since an early age. She grew up in a family of performers: her aunt is a ballerina and her uncle is the famous bass player Oseama Afifi. It is no surprise then that she enjoys performing as well; she started singing when she was six, has been dancing for ten years, has played the alto saxophone since sixth grade, and is starting to learn the bass. Olivia has a wide-ranging appreciation of various genres, from heavy metal to Japanese city pop. She enjoys not just playing music but also creating her own pieces. She has participated in Seattle Theatre Group’s Songwriting Lab, a week-long songwriting workshop that she credits with providing her with connections and friends to bounce ideas off of. Olivia hopes to be a performing artist in the future with the goal of living in New York City.
 "City and Soul" by Tamara Abouammo By Nickole Munoz Tamara is an Arab-American, self-taught, multi-media artist who has put deep thought into her journey as an artist while only being a freshman in high school. Residing in downtown Seattle, she enjoys taking advantage of Green Lake’s scenery, where she based her most recent project with The Colorization Collective (The CC). At the Green Lake scene, there has been a flash of personal touch to every piece: Tamara uses her camera lens to capture the world. This scene replicates one from years ago when Tamara would watch her brother take passport photos or her aunt make jewelry. As inspiration, she recalls an abundance of stories of her paternal grandma, a popular Egyptian singer whose essence influences Tamara’s multifaceted streams of creativity. Her grandma’s artistic ability translated into musicians and jewelry makers on her mother’s side of the family.
By Anya Shukla and Dilinna Ugochukwu Kaiser Louis sees his artwork as a way to honor his family lineage. Louis, the son of a first-generation Haitian immigrant, uses art to explore his family’s immigration and reflect on his personal experiences. What does it mean, Louis asks through his pieces, to speak French, English, and Creole but have never visited Haiti? In what ways am I connected to my heritage, and in what ways am I separated?
 Adrija Jana uses their artwork to raise awareness of issues they find important. Photo credit: Adrija Jana. By Dilinna Ugochukwu “I thought, I have a real connection with this,” said Adrija Jana (she/they), referring to refugee crises. “Why not take it up? Why not use my voice for these people?” Jana is an interdisciplinary Indian artist and activist who started writing in third grade, and their passion for the arts has only grown since. Now they are also drawn to film and theater, and their films have even been accepted to international film festivals.
By Dilinna Ugochukwu As a 15-year-old scuba diver, computer science lover, activist, and environmentalist, Danielle Nelson (they/them) wears many hats. They incorporate several of these interests into their artwork, which features themes of social justice and environmentalism.
By Anya Shukla Specializing in intricate line work, gorgeous oil-on-canvas pieces, and eye-catching murals, Esmeralda Vasquez is a multidisciplinary artist who often incorporates symbolism and minimalism into her work. Vasquez grew up in Yakima, Washington, and now lives in Seattle, where she has recently begun breaking into the art scene: she had her first art show in February and works as a teaching artist for Urban ArtWorks, a local nonprofit that helps youth create public art.
 Emma Wang performs at Sound Off! in a self-made dress. Photo credit: MoPOP and @sulu.tzn. By Anya Shukla Listening to Emma Wang perform her original songs at MoPOP’s Sky Church, one might think her jazzy, bright voice comes from the mouth of a 25-year-old, not a girl who’s still in high school. Although she’s been singing for most of her life, Wang’s polished sound has only started opening doors for her this year.
|
Archives
April 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed