Pieces by senior Claire Kampmeier (left) and junior Maya Cheshire (right) were selected to be featured in the 2023 ArtNow exhibit hosted by New Museum Los Gatos. This annual exhibit features pieces by Bay Area high school students, giving them the opportunity to gain real-world experience by featuring their work in a juried exhibition. The theme of this year’s exhibition is “Unarmed Truth,” showcasing original pieces that “reveal a personal or universal truth.” The exhibit will be on display at New Museum Los Gatos from March 13 to June 25.
Last month, Harker middle and upper school students received 256 regional awards in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, comprising 107 awards for art and 149 for literature. All of Harker’s 30 Gold Key winners are eligible for national awards, which will be announced in March. A national ceremony to honor all of this year’s national award winners will take place in June.
The full list of winners (some named multiple times to denote the number of awards they received) is as follows:
Art
Gold Key
Iris Cai, grade 10
Iris Fu, grade 11
Ramit Goyal, grade 11
Angelina Hu, grade 11
Siddhi Jain, grade 11
Raeanne Li, grade 8
Yueyao Li, grade 10
Sydney Ling, grade 11
Sophia Liu, grade 10
Ashley Mo, grade 9
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12
Teresa Song, grade 7
Claire Su, grade 11
Alena Suleiman, grade 11
Cynthia Wang, grade 11
Benjamin Xia, grade 9
Austina Xu, grade 12
Connie Xu, grade 9
Selina Xu, grade 11
Alison Yang, grade 10
Albert Yao, grade 9
Linda Zeng, grade 9
Elizabeth Zhang, grade 8
Silver Key
Iris Cai, grade 10
Jillian Cheng, grade 8
Laurel Davies, grade 11
Iris Fu, grade 11
Ariana Goetting, grade 11
Ramit Goyal, grade 11
Joy Hu, grade 9
Trisha Iyer, grade 11
Siddhi Jain, grade 11
Ally Lee, grade 12
Catherine Li, grade 11
Colin Li, grade 8
Raeanne Li, grade 8
Yueyao Li, grade 10
Sydney Ling, grade 11
Desiree Luo, grade 11
Ashley Mo, grade 9
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12
Julie Shi, grade 11
Teresa Song, grade 7
Alena Suleiman, grade 11
Brittany Tsui, grade 11
Cynthia Wang, grade 11
Michelle Wei, grade 11
Isabella Wu, grade 7
Vivian Wu, grade 8
Austina Xu, grade 12
Celina Xu, grade 9
Selina Xu, grade 11
Alison Yang, grade 10
Audrey Yang, grade 9
Albert Yao, grade 9
Linda Zeng, grade 9
Evan Zhang, grade 9
Sophia Zhu, grade 10
Honorable Mention
Ananya Bammi, grade 12
Iris Cai, grade 10
Shareen Chahal, grade 11
Jessica Chen, grade 8
Karina Chen, grade 12
Nanxi (Nancy) Chen, grade 8
Keren Eisenberg, grade 10
Mirabelle Feng, grade 10
Iris Fu, grade 11
Ariana Goetting, grade 11
Ramit Goyal, grade 11
Angelina Hu, grade 11
Trisha Iyer, grade 11
Siddhi Jain, grade 11
Ally Lee, grade 12
Catherine Li, grade 11
Emma Li, grade 9
Raeanne Li, grade 8
Yueyao Li, grade 10
Helena Liang, grade 8
Sydney Ling, grade 11
Sophia Liu, grade 10
Claire Luo, grade 11
Desiree Luo, grade 11
Ashley Mo, grade 9
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12
Smrithi Sambamurthy, grade 12
Julie Shi, grade 11
Teresa Song, grade 7
Claire Su, grade 11
Alena Suleiman, grade 11
Kurtis Tong, grade 12
Cynthia Wang, grade 11
Michelle Wei, grade 11
Isabella Wu, grade 7
Vivian Wu, grade 8
Austina Xu, grade 12
Celina Xu, grade 9
Connie Xu, grade 9
Olivia Xu, grade 11
Selina Xu, grade 11
Alison Yang, grade 10
Cecilia Yang, grade 11
Chloee Yang, grade 9
Albert Yao, grade 9
Linda Zeng, grade 9
Elizabeth Zhang, grade 8
Katelyn Zhao, grade 11
Sophia Zhu, grade 10
Literature
Gold Key
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Emma Gao, grade 11, Critical Essay
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ashley Mo, grade 9, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Writing Portfolio
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Writing Portfolio
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Ananya Pradhan, grade 9, Poetry
Jessica Wang, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Austina Xu, grade 12, Poetry
Alison Yang, grade 10, Poetry
Albert Yao, grade 9, Journalism
Linda Zeng, grade 9, Personal Essay & Memoir
Linda Zeng, grade 9, Short Story
Ariel Zhang, grade 9, Poetry
Ellie Zhou, grade 8, Short Story
Silver Key
Tyler Beede, grade 12, Short Story
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Felix Chen, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Jillian Cheng, grade 8, Short Story
Emma Gao, grade 11, Journalism
Helen Gu, grade 9, Short Story
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Joy Hu, grade 9, Critical Essay
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Humor
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Short Story
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Journalism
Eden Kelly, grade 9, Critical Essay
Catherine Li, grade 11, Critical Essay
Catherine Li, grade 11, Critical Essay
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Desiree Luo, grade 11, Journalism
Anaya Mandal, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Critical Essay
Edis Mesic, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Ananya Pradhan, grade 9, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ameera Ramzan, grade 8, Critical Essay
Ameera Ramzan, grade 8, Critical Essay
Ashley Ruan, grade 12, Short Story
Tanisha Singh, grade 11, Humor
Kairui Sun, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Cynthia Wang, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Jessica Wang, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Jessica Wang, grade 10, Poetry
Selina Wang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Selina Wang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Michelle Wei, grade 11, Critical Essay
Austina Xu, grade 12, Critical Essay
Selina Xu, grade 11, Poetry
Alison Yang, grade 10, Personal Essay & Memoir
Tiantong Yang, grade 9, Short Story
Albert Yao, grade 9, Critical Essay
Medha Yarlagadda, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ella Yee, grade 11, Critical Essay
Linda Zeng, grade 9, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Ariel Zhang, grade 9, Poetry
Evan Zhang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Honorable Mention
Varun Bhupathi, grade 10, Critical Essay
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Iris Cai, grade 10, Poetry
Ainslie Chen, grade 10, Flash Fiction
Varun Fuloria, grade 11, Critical Essay
Varun Fuloria, grade 11, Critical Essay
Emma Gao, grade 11, Critical Essay
Emma Gao, grade 11, Critical Essay
Cyrus Ghane, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Ariana Goetting, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Ramit Goyal, grade 11, Critical Essay
Helen Gu, grade 9, Poetry
Shayla He, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Critical Essay
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Humor
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Trisha Iyer, grade 11, Poetry
Siddhi Jain, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
David Jang, grade 11, Journalism
Ally Lee, grade 12, Flash Fiction
Catherine Li, grade 11, Critical Essay
Catherine Li, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Poetry
Lindsay Li, grade 9, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Raeanne Li, grade 8, Poetry
Raeanne Li, grade 8, Flash Fiction
Raeanne Li, grade 8, Poetry
Jingjing Liang, grade 9, Flash Fiction
Daniel Lin, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Critical Essay
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Critical Essay
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Critical Essay
Sydney Ling, grade 11, Poetry
Claire Luo, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Spencer Mak, grade 11, Personal Essay & Memoir
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Poetry
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Journalism
Katerina Matta, grade 10, Critical Essay
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Poetry
Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 12, Personal Essay & Memoir
Last week, longtime upper school art teacher Pilar Agüero-Esparza was named one of the 12 most recent Bay Area artists to join the Fleishhacker Foundation’s Eureka Fellowship Program, which has provided funding to local artists since 1986. A national panel of arts experts evaluated the work of each of the 123 artists nominated by local nonprofits. Agüero-Esparza’s award of $35,000 will be received in 2025 as part of the program’s three-year cycle.
A teacher at Harker since 2002, Agüero-Esparza’s work has appeared in many museums and galleries, including the San Jose Museum of Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, MACLA and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, frequently exploring concepts of race and inequality while channeling her own experiences living as a part of a marginalized group. In summer 2022, Montalvo Arts Center commissioned her to create a tapestry mural for their Claiming Space exhibition.
This past summer, K-5 visual arts chair Gerry-louise Robinson and middle school art teacher Sofie Siegmann traveled to Thailand to learn more about the country’s art, culture and history, and how they can be integrated into Harker’s visual arts programs. The trip was part of the Raju and Bala Vegesna Teacher Excellence Program, which supports teachers seeking exciting professional development opportunities.
“Thailand is a rich melting pot of art and culture that has embraced traits from all the countries that border it,” said Robinson. “There are so many visible connections with India and East Asia, cultures that are part of our Harker community.”
The excursion began with a three-day stint at the University of Fine Arts in Bangkok, where Robinson and Siegmann gave a presentation and participated in a project with the university’s teachers and students. “We got to explore the many disciplines that the college has to offer and chatted with many professors who are practicing artists in their own right,” said Robinson.
“It was the most rewarding experience, because it brought everybody together,” said Siegmann “The students worked at home, and in the end we all created a wall with over 500 pieces!”
They then visited temples in the northern and southern regions of the country, admiring and analyzing the many different techniques that made each of the temples unique. The trek also included stops at places where locals were creating ceramics in a variety of styles, as well as visits to art studios to meet with and learn from local artists. During the several workshops they attended, Robinson and Siegmann took part in soap carving, paper making and mask painting.
Robinson said she hopes to use the striking scenes she experienced in Thailand’s floating markets into her instruction, in addition to paper making projects and works involving elephants, which are icons of Thai culture. Siegmann said she planned to integrate at least two pieces inspired by what she learned in Thailand into each of her classes, including paper making, soap carving and printmaking.
The teachers thanked global education director Jennifer Walrod for organizing the trip. “Jennifer Walrod did an outstanding job in putting this trip to Thailand together,” said Siegmann. “It was such a smooth, adventuresome experience.” Sakchai Boon-Intr, a professor at the University of Fine Arts, was also instrumental in making the experience so worthwhile. “He did so much to enable us to be at the college and engage with the students and staff,” Robinson. Finally, they thanked the Vegesnas, whose endowment granted this unique opportunity.
“Thank you to the Vegesna family for making this possible,” Siegmann said. “What an opportunity!”
Bay Area-based artist Leah Rosenberg was named the second artist-in-residence of the Dickinson Visual Arts Endowment. Rosenberg has employed a wide variety of media to explore the many ways color is insinuated in the human experience, including painting, installation, sculpture, video and even food.
Featured in local, national and international solo and group exhibitions, Rosenberg has also participated in fellowships at Berkeley’s Kala Art Institute and the Montalvo Arts Center. Past residencies include San Francisco Recology (where she repurposed paint from a household hazardous waste facility), Vermont Studio Center, Project 387, Facebook, Google, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and McColl Center for Art + Innovation. Her installations appear in locations across the Bay Area, including San Francisco International Airport, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and UCSF.
Rosenberg’s residency will begin Oct. 10 with a lunchtime lecture at the Nichols Hall auditorium. In the following weeks she will conduct a series of workshops with middle and upper school art students, culminating with a special reception on Nov. 17.
The Dickinson Visual Arts Endowment was created in 2021 to support Harker’s visual arts programs and students, as well as deepen the school’s connection to the wider international arts community. Last year’s inaugural artist-in-residence of the endowment was Berlin-based painter and performance artist Britta Clausnitzer.
Alexa Gross ’17, who just graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in studio art and neuroscience, was awarded the senior prize in studio art with a series of multimedia pieces that “explore themes of intergenerational memory, relationships, and identity through a scientific lens,” her statement on the exhibition reads. Drawing on the experiences of her mother and grandmother, Gross brought together printmaking, photography and drawing, using materials such as string, used gloves and a video she filmed of herself, her mother and her grandmother discussing their lives while taking apart the gloves that were used in the exhibit.
This month, Berlin-based painter and performance artist Britta Clausnitzer is Harker’s guest as first resident of the Dickinson Visual Arts Endowment, a new endowment that will support Harker’s visual arts programs and students.
On Jan. 14, Clausnitzer will take part in a collaborative performance project at the middle school campus, titled “Tiger on the Loose,” and on Jan. 19 she will appear at the upper school campus for another performance of “Tiger on the Loose,” a guest lecture at Nichols Auditorium and a special reception at the Rothschild Performing Arts Center.
In her home city of Berlin, Clausnitzer has become known for unique depictions of legendary figures from film, literature and classic art. Since 1994, her work has been showcased at exhibitions across Europe and the United States. She also works at as a curator and museum educator.
“I have always loved art and the way it moves and transforms us,” said Pam Dickinson, director of Harker’s Office of Communication, who established the new endowment. “It’s actually a gift for me to have this opportunity to give some heartfelt love to Harker’s art department and art students.”
Visual arts department chair Joshua Martinez expressed excitement at the upcoming residency and what has been made possible by the Dickinson Endowment. “This endowment will strengthen our school’s connection to the global art community by facilitating the expansion of our artist residency program,” he said.
The regional winners of the 2021 Bay Area Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were announced last week, and Harker students pulled in 189 awards (73 in art and 116 in writing). Sophomore Sarah Mohammed’s poem, “Homeland, Gone,” was selected as one of five nominees for the Bay Area Writing Region’s National American Voices Medal, the winner of which will be announced in March, along with all of this year’s national award winners.
Harker won a total of 42 Gold Keys, 54 Silver Keys and 93 Honorable Mentions. Gold Key winners are eligible to win national awards, and all national award winners will be honored at a ceremony in June.
The complete list of Harker winners is as follows:
Art:
Name
Grade
Category
Award
Anoushka Buch
12
Design
Silver Key
Anoushka Buch
12
Design
Honorable Mention
Shareen Chahal
12
Photography
Gold Key
Dawson Chen
9
Drawing & Illustration
Honorable Mention
Karina Chen
11
Film & Animation
Silver Key
Karina Chen
10
Comic Art
Gold Key
Alice Feng
10
Digital Art
Honorable Mention
Alice Feng
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Alice Feng
11
Photography
Silver Key
Alice Feng
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Alice Feng
11
Photography
Gold Key
Alice Feng
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Alice Feng
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Alice Feng
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Alice Feng
11
Sculpture
Gold Key
Alice Feng
11
Fashion
Silver Key
Mirabelle Feng
11
Fashion
Silver Key
Mirabelle Feng
8
Photography
Silver Key
Sonya He
8
Painting
Honorable Mention
Reagan Ka
10
Painting
Honorable Mention
Reagan Ka
11
Expanded Projects
Honorable Mention
Reagan Ka
11
Sculpture
Honorable Mention
Reagan Ka
11
Design
Honorable Mention
Ally Lee
11
Design
Honorable Mention
Michelle Liu
10
Digital Art
Silver Key
Michelle Liu
11
Digital Art
Honorable Mention
Michelle Liu
11
Design
Honorable Mention
Aastha Mangla
11
Expanded Projects
Silver Key
Sarah Fathima Mohammed
10
Painting
Honorable Mention
Muthiah Panchanatham
10
Digital Art
Silver Key
Julie Shi
9
Digital Art
Silver Key
Claire Su
9
Digital Art
Silver Key
Alysa Suleiman
9
Painting
Honorable Mention
Alysa Suleiman
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Alysa Suleiman
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Alysa Suleiman
11
Photography
Honorable Mention
Emily Tan
11
Photography
Silver Key
Emily Tan
11
“Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation”
Honorable Mention
Nicole Tian
11
“Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation”
Earlier this week, several Harker students were named national medalists in the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Jacqueline He, grade 12, earned a gold medal for “Mollusk Threnody,” her entry in the poetry category. Junior Annabelle Perng was awarded a silver medal for her flash fiction piece, “Name Tag,” and Katherine Zhang, also grade 11, received a silver medal in the journalism category for her article, titled “Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts Throw the Future of Research into Question.”
At the middle school level, eighth grader Michelle Liu was awarded two gold medals for her submissions in the drawing and illustration category, “The Feast of Harvest” and “Leisure Time.”
As national medalists, these students are invited to attend the national events this summer in New York City. Gold medalists are invited to the national ceremony at Carnegie Hall.
Congratulations to these students for receiving this remarkable recognition!
Five Harker students – senior Debarati Chatterjee, juniors Elizaveta Egorova and Elizabeth Yang, and sophomores Eric Fang and Sofia Kassaras – were recently selected to be featured as part of New Museum Los Gatos’ ArtNow program. The students’ art will be displayed in a juried exhibition from March 29-May 6, along with the works of high school students throughout Santa Clara County.
For the theme of this year’s exhibition, “Perspectives,” each student created a piece exploring various points of view, such as a young person’s outlook on the future, a young girl grappling with the loss of a loved one and the implications of living in an increasingly technologically advanced world.
The exhibition will be held at New Museum Los Gatos, located at 106 E. Main St. in Los Gatos.