Special Art Project students displayed their annual art exhibitions in the student union on April 14 and 15. The class hosts annual art exhibitions, displaying each student’s work over a six month period. This allows students to build their art school portfolios and enhance their artistic skills simultaneously.
Samira Cansino-Chavez (12) was one of five students featured in the exhibition. Cansino-Chavez spoke in depth about the theme behind her pieces and reflected on what it meant to participate in her final exhibition as a senior.
“I have a phobia of [bugs], so I wanted to be able to capture them in a way that I can enjoy them without being freaked out. I hope [people] enjoy my artwork and all the little details they have,” Cansino-Chavez said. “I started [one piece] in September, [and] February [was] when I finished the whole collection. [This is] my last exhibition, so I’m glad I got to do an exhibition one more time before I graduate.”
Kristy Pham (12) used the theme of obsessions, highlighting how obsessions have a closely intertwined relationship with passion. Pham explained the message she wanted to convey through her artworks.
“[Obsessions] breathe purpose and drive into someone’s life, but they also cause disorder and chaos. I define obsession as an excess feeling of passion, and that’s a universal feeling; too much passion or anything is not a good balance and can be harmful, but passion is needed in certain amounts. I wanted to show it from multiple angles. It was a theme where I could explore human emotion, especially the more upsetting ones,” Pham said.
Evolyth Garcia (10) focused on ballet and its underappreciated aspects in her pieces. Garcia’s personal favorite drawing is called “44.15 kg,” a piece about body dysmorphia from a pressuring sport.
“Dancers constantly look at themselves in the mirror, [and] at some point, [they won’t] know what [they] look like. When you’re [always] being told that you have to look [a] certain way, you’ll reach that [goal] at some point [but] you’ll feel it’s not enough. Most dancers don’t have healthy relationships with food, their body and how they view themselves,” Garcia said.
Julianne Pasiwen (12) used digital art to create posters for her hypothetical movie to display the untapped media behind these advertisements. She wanted to reveal the unique styles of these posters, with the variety of genres, themes, and mediums used to make them.
“Creativity goes a long way to express a story, so I wanted to [make] a hypothetical story of what I would do if I had my own movie. Movie posters are a way to tell the story by encouraging creativity. I [want] people [to know] that you can do anything with art if you put your mind to it; if someone wanted to give it a try, they’re not limited to digital art because these things used to be traditionally hand-drawn,” Pasiwen said.
Jade Niu (12) chose the theme of bodily touch and the human connection it can create. Niu reflected on how the placement of her works shaped the viewer’s experience and her growth throughout her two years in the program.
“I want people to slow down [when they] look at my pieces, so I put all of my [artwork] on the back of the walls. I need people to find [them], to [want to] look at it. This year, I grew a lot. [In my first exhibition], I was shy to talk about my work [to others] because English is my second language, I couldn’t even say a word. [But now], I can tell [people] my story and what I did [for my pieces], I became more confident,” Niu said.
These five students expressed gratitude toward Mr. Murillo and everyone who supported, viewed, and appreciated their work- pieces that reflect not only their identities, but also the effort and dedication poured into making a successful exhibition.
“Thank you to my teacher, Mr. Murillo. He didn’t give up on me and gave me a second chance. Thank you to my family; my mom [who] always supported me to do everything. Thank you to everyone [for seeing our work],” Niu said.
![[left to right] Arissa Lam (12), Sarah Powert (12), Magdalena Kenyon (12), Sophia Frogue (12), and Stevie Feld (12) pose with their college decision shirts on May 1.](https://shgrowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_0059-1200x800.jpg)
