The arts scene at D-E is blooming! On Thursday, April 3, 2025, the Upper School Assembly featured an Art & Design Showcase, highlighting the hard work of our AP Studio Art students and the many steps that go into creating the art. “Process is so important, sometimes more important than the final product,” said Marisol Diaz, Chair of the Art & Design Department. “The magic happens in the process!”

The assembly included slideshows and a series of videos capturing students working on their 2D and 3D art—drawings, paintings, printmaking, ceramics, digital and film photography, and more. The audience cheered at times when artists’ names were displayed and when pencil portraits of familiar faces around campus appeared on screen.

“The magic happens in the process!”

Meanwhile, backstage, US Art & Design Teacher Paul Edwards facilitated a Live Art Battle among Minka Brainin ’25, Lilah Carroll ’27, Eliza Herman ’27, Maleah Liao ’27, Jacob Meier ’27, and Alden Stewart ’27. They were asked to paint, draw, or sculpt what they think the soul of D-E looks like. Images of the creations were later uploaded to a shared Google Doc, where the community could vote on their favorite depiction. Lilah, who drew an outstretched arm reaching toward halos of warm colors, came in first, and Maleah, with her drawing of an exhausted Bulldog, won second place!

Throughout the assembly, several of our young artists, all of whom were recently featured in the Swartley Gallery Series AP Studio Art exhibit, made brief presentations on the inspiration behind their lines of inquiry (LOI), which they use as the basis of their final portfolios.

Daniela Delyusto ’25 said the war in Ukraine prompted her LOI. “It was my chance to take all of the feelings I had… sadness and anger and turn them into a product… and into some amount of hope,” she said.

Casey Law ’25 spoke on how her work, including a painting titled “Little Time” and wearable art, was inspired by the recent Canadian wildfires and the threat of climate change.

Of her ceramic work, Niki Donath ’25 said part of her LOI was to “highlight mistakes instead of hiding them.”

“It was my chance to take all of the feelings I had… sadness and anger and turn them into a product…”

“Art has always been my safe space,” said Isabella Moon ’26, who for her LOI created portraiture of the female body representing subjugation and trauma. Her work with acrylic paint “expresses vulnerability in a way I hope resonates with other women,” she said.

The final speakers, Sydney Adekanbi ’25 and Nisha Rajan ’26, described how they weaved their personal stories into their lines of inquiry.

Ms. Diaz also took some time to recap a recent trip to Thailand she’d been awarded by the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program, for which she was the only art educator selected. She shared how the beautiful Southeast Asian country has suffered from “waste colonialism,” meaning wealthier nations have used it as a dumping ground for environmentally harmful plastics and foam used to make flip-flops.

It’s an issue that resonates with Ms. Diaz’s focus on eco-poetic art, which helps foster a deeper connection with nature and promotes actions toward sustainability. “All artists know that negative space is just as important as positive space,” said Ms. Diaz, relating these artistic elements to the negative and positive impacts of geo-politics.

In closing remarks, Ms. Diaz recognized Sydney for winning a National Scholastic Art Award for her digital art titled “Train from Guangzhou to Lagos.” We congratulate all our talented artists who’ve made an incredible mark at D-E and continue to do so!