Each year the Visual Arts Department invites students to participate in our summer Emerging Artist program. The students spend the summer working on a collection of artwork in their chosen mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, video, photography, digital art, and more. The summer art project is then displayed in the fall in our Emerging Artists Showcase. The artists make no less than three pieces of any size during the summer. Having the student body back on campus is so exciting and the students have taken advantage of the alone time we all experienced this past year. Skills were honed, new talents discovered, and we all get to share in this wonder. We have a record-breaking 27 student emerging artist participants and 28 emerging writer participants. This year we are still limiting the number of visitors to campus. However, the show must go on! You are invited to visit the virtual Emerging Artists Showcase right here.
Featured artists: senior jess wolf, junior Abhiram muthavarapu, sophomore emily tang, Freshman Laura Phyu, junior Pynn harinsuit, junior Ella xue, senior Sophia Chen, junior madison oh, junior julie kang, freshman sydney robinow, sophomore christian Aljian, junior Helen shen, sophomore fedora liu, junior sofia mansilla, senior nia hardaway, junior mattie mccann, junior Seth sukboontip, junior zoe santilli, sophomore Charlotte millman, senior Danielle Hong, junior rebecca fowler, sophomore isabella wang, junior Neil Grover, freshman iris sande, sophomore mercuri lam, junior dora lin, and senior primrose chittikuladilok.
FEATURED WRITERS: SOPHOMORE JAMNIA AI, JUNIOR ARTHUR BEAUGEARD, JUNIOR ALLI BENTHIEN, JUNIOR CJ BUKOWSKI, SENIOR AIDAN COOPER, SOPHOMORE ISABELLA DELACH, SENIOR CALLY DIXON, SOPHOMORE ANNA LEE GEOGHAN, JUNIOR MADISON HUA, JUNIOR EMILY KHYM, SOPHOMORE MERCURI LAM, JUNIOR KIRSTEN LEES, JUNIOR DORA LIN, JUNIOR MICHELLE LIU, SENIOR SHAWN MENG, SOPHOMORE CHARLOTTE MILLMAN, JUNIOR SAVANNAH MILLS-HALL, JUNIOR CHINELO OSAKWE, JUNIOR NANDINI RAMANATHAN, SOPHOMORE ZARIN RIZVI, SENIOR JOHN SIHN, SOPHOMORE ETHAN SONG, SENIOR GRACE THOMPSON, SOPHOMORE ISABELLA WANG, JUNIOR ELLA XUE, SOPHOMORE ANGELA YE, JUNIOR ERICA ZHANG, AND JUNIOR SOFIA MANSILLA.
emerging ARTISTS 2021-22
Jess Wolf
Drawing or painting is like taking a deep, refreshing breath. When I’m stressed, tired, or upset I put everything into making something look beautiful and alive. Art isn’t just a picture on paper or a sculpture to stare at. It’s tangible feelings and emotions being left behind by the artist. For me, it’s a safe haven from everything else going on in my life.
Abhiram Muthavarapu
Art lets me express my creativity and is a way for me to turn the ideas in my mind into something that others can see, no matter the medium. The reason I chose to submit fashion illustrations is that they’re the type of art I make the most. Drawing fashion allows me to further express my thoughts and ideas, and not only does it show on paper, but can also be 3-dimensional, which is why I love it so much. The six-piece all-black collection, Transparence Voilée (Veiled Transparency), is supposed to represent the idea that even if something seems straightforward and easily understood, it doesn’t mean everything about it is known. It can have layers it doesn’t let the world see and the bits of pieces that the world does see are insignificant. There is black tulle and chiffon on all the dresses, and this material is usually somewhat see-through or transparent. The black fabric used for the main part of the piece blends with the black tulle, making it impossible for the transparency of the tulle to be seen.
Emily Tang
Photography is far beyond just taking pictures of things. It is about exploration, curiosity, learning, and most importantly, expression. There are so many beautiful things in the world that we know of yet so many awaiting us to discover. I hope my photos can truly affect the viewers in some way, whether a slight change in their perspective or a little increase in their love towards the world.
Laura Phyu
These are some of the portraits of people I’ve drawn over the year. I really like drawing with the pencil as a medium in general. I have a lot of fun drawing portraits because each piece is unique since it’s a picture of someone. I’m so excited to continue doing art at Loomis!
Pynn Harinsuit
Art, whether expressed through drawings/paintings, music, or photography, is a way of showing everyone's passion and personality, which I think is so fascinating.
Ella Xue
Through my art, I enjoy capturing motion and preserving a moment in time—whether it's a polar bear splashing water or a bioluminescent jellyfish floating. I am inspired by the beauty of nature and aim to convey that beauty through my photos.
Madison Oh
Art is a way to lay all those feelings that words cannot express out for the world to see. Simultaneously, it has the power to be as removed as scribbled doodles or as consequential as a soul on paper. Art lies in everything we do.
Julie Kang
This summer I focused on drawing and painting people or portraits. Art is a medium that I use to represent myself and communicate with others. Being able to share my passion with others, and especially friends and teachers at Loomis is such a fun and engaging experience!
Sydney Robinow
Art to me is a way to spend time. I like to be able to see progress and have a tangible result of my time spent. I also like it because it's relaxing. There is something super therapeutic about sitting down with some paint and watching a movie, listening to music, or just watching the world go by.
Christian Aljian
I've been drawing forever. I've also always been into cars, so these two hobbies have merged together. I like '80s and '90s Japanese cars for their styling, and Japanese tuning culture in general because of its creativity and history. The GTI concept is inspired by European designs, but the other two are Japanese cars.
Sofia Mansilla
Art for me is an undefined form of representing my feelings. It’s dynamic and it may reflect my deep emotions and memories. It’s something impossible to live without. Here at Loomis, I can turn my artwork into something good for the people. I may use it to help someone else, and that’s very important for me. It means adding another layer of meaning to my art.
Nia Hardaway
I create art, specifically this type of art, to bring awareness to the struggles that I have faced as a mixed-race individual. I believe that the mixed-race community faces the hardships of commonly getting asked questions of: "What are you?" or just the constant feeling of thinking you should choose between one race and the other. My art serves the purpose of saying that it is more than OK to be both and that it should not be a choice. Being mixed-race is a beautiful thing, and with my art, I wanted to bring such beauty to light.
Mattie Mccann
My art presented here is pictures I took over the summer to capture moments in time. This summer I tried to take photos of landscape and action as much as possible because I like taking time out of my day to take photos. Art at Loomis makes me feel comfortable with expressing my thoughts and love for something.
Seth Sukboontip
I was inspired by the vast expanse of the universe to create Pod Landing and Crushed, depicting the mysterious yet intriguing landscapes. It seems to be a good fit for today's era of space exploration; maybe one day we will discover exotic worlds similar to the ones I imagined. As for Donut, I was hungry and bored at the time, so I clicked on the first tutorial I could find on digital design. The result is something I value, something that kick-started my hobby for digital modeling.
Zoe Santilli
I make art to capture, without simply replicating, my favorite moments in life. Additionally, the act of making the art allows me to reflect on the things that have significance to me.
Danielle Hong
I think art can have more power than words sometimes. For me, art is like writing. On a blank piece of paper or a blank space, I create something completely new, expressing how I feel and what I value. I sometimes create stories, I sometimes argue for what I believe in, I sometimes deliver world issues. Art can do anything.
Rebecca Fowler
I love ceramics because more often than not it has a mind of its own, and you have to adjust accordingly. I started with hand-building last year and have now been more consistently throwing on the wheel, where I made the bowl and lighthouse. I decided on the beach theme as a dedication to the summer, as well as family and friends that made this summer an unforgettable one.
Iris Sande
As a photographer, I find art everywhere. It's my job to help capture that art, so others can see it the same way I did. I can bring everyday moments to life... all with the snap of a shutter. My photos in this gallery examine those everyday moments - those everyday artworks - found while walking the boardwalk.
Mercuri Lam
Lines appear everywhere in our lives. In the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the ground we stand on. Everything around us ebbs and flows, and my art is a screenshot of that constant motion. Through my art, I hope to capture the nature around us and invoke a sense of awe and wonder.
Dora Lin
Ever since I was little, art has always been a really important part of my life. I was always really shy, and art was a way for me to communicate with others even though we may be extremely different. I also love the feeling of having a world morph underneath my hands with just a paintbrush or a pencil, and I also enjoy being able to savor a beautiful moment forever with a simple click of the camera at the right time. I chose these photos because it was my first summer completely in America and I wanted to get out as much as possible. These photos capture most of the memorable moments from my summer — for example, I went to Disney World, and I saw a rhino resting with my brothers. It was his first time seeing one, so I took a photo of it because he was thrilled. And that's my favorite part about art: It's one of the best ways to capture a wonderful moment and enjoy it with others.
Primrose Chittikuladilok
Seeing the subject behind the lens drives me to view nature from a different perspective. I feel inspired to deliver a straightforward narrative of the complex world. The essence of photography has helped me understand my identity by probing me further to single out the beauty of the little things in our lives. I view photography as a platform to recognize the natural world and an outlet for me to relax and unwind.
Emerging Writers 2021-22
Launched in 2016 by Writing Initiatives at Loomis Chaffee and the student literary publication The Loom, the Emerging Writers program invites student writers of all inspirations to submit proposals for independent development during the summer. At the end of the summer, the Emerging Writers display their work alongside the Emerging Artists Showcase in the Richmond Art Center. This year, 28 students submitted their portfolios featuring a variety of styles and genres. Excerpts from the Emerging Writers 2021 summer portfolios on display in the RAC are shown below.
Arthur Beaugeard
Excerpt from “How Man Lived Before the Smartphone”
The prosecutor stood straight and started interrogating Susan. He asked her about her whereabouts, whether or not she had an alibi, and whether or not she had a grudge against the victim, a poor sod who just happened to be strolling by. Sadly for her, the defendant wasted the opportunity to defend herself by squealing, oinking, grunting, and chewing on the witness stand.
-Arthur Beaugeard ’23
CJ Bukowski
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
BARB and THOMAS lie next to each other in bed. The lamp next to BARB is still lit.
THOMAS lays his head on the pillow, but BARB appears wide awake - her back upright against the bed-frame.
THOMAS
Everything all right up there?
BARB
(Blank stare, nodding) Yeah.
THOMAS
The, the thing today - just try to be brave, even just assertive around it. I'm confident the more, you know, normal you keep your routine, the less it will, uh, control? Yeah control yo-
BARB
Control? Tom that thing, that monster, has nothing to do with control. Nothing. It's full of chaos and anarchy and-
-CJ Bukowski ’23
Aidan cooper
Excerpt from “what have we to burn in the West”
(inspired by The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare)
what have we to burn
in the scattered rocks of the West
where flags scraped and blades broken
tend to their masters’ graves.
much, much to do in the bloodied land
gather the gold, the sickening smell
boil the flesh and devour the heat
the crows will call and home will answer.
dance, dance to the song
the matron backs ’way behind clouds
to drown out the sound, the benevolent tongue
shadows drape us in silk.
taste, taste the tears of ink
thrown on parchment of bone and sinew
what has been left behind is ready
ready for the taking and thrall.
-Aidan Cooper ’22
Isabella Delach
Excerpt from “Flower Boy”
Sometimes I was even convinced Ma was a magical fairy who could ask flowers to bend to her feet wherever she walked. Her feet were so silent and light, it looked like she could float, but fairies didn’t have stains on their dresses or bruises or their necks, and they definitely didn’t smoke. So, I settled for the fact that Ma must have had some kinda magic power she kept hidden from the world, and I was the only one she showed it to.
-Isabella Delach ’24
Cally Dixon
Excerpt from “A Walk in the Wildwoods”
He knew that his father had buried his last, biggest haul in the center of the forest. However, the wood was so dense that aerial pictures could only give him the coordinates to the center. He couldn’t be dropped there; he had to go the long way, through the thickets. He pulled up the coordinates as he moved closer to the heart of the forest. Twenty meters away. Fifteen. Ten. Five. He pushed through a particularly thick snarl of vines and stopped in satisfaction.
-Cally Dixon ’22
Madison Hua
Excerpt from Chapter 1
My first day at a new school—probably my twelfth one yet. I kissed my dad on the cheek as I walked out of the house, adventuring into the unknowns of social cliques and mean girls. The sky was a hue of periwinkle and peach as I drove up to the new brick building.
-Madison Hua ’23
Emily Khym
Letters
I try to formulate letters to spit out
at him, but I face relentless knots adorning
our walls, trying to decipher our fragility, afraid to
break more china plates—and I look at our stash of
pine nuts remembering how we used to sew our lips
together at morning’s rise, paint roses into each other’s
ears at the prospect of ball dancing in the forest, blow
crescent moons to the beat of our hearts. But we lost
ourselves in the fire of our trees. We became letters atop
pine nut forests.
-Emily Khym ’23
dora lin
Excerpt from Cursed, Chapter 1
The man opened the door.
“Ah, another one. Another Halden. Traitors.” He raised his gun.
“Mama!” I cried out, trying to ease the pain from my eye. “I was so scared! Thank God you finally came! Mama!”
“Oh?” The man in the uniform smiled—the coldest, most terrifying smile I’ve ever seen.
-Dora Lin ’23
Michelle Liu
Excerpt from “Memories at Age Seven”
At the age of seven, how was the girl supposed to know that she was only adjusting to the new environment, not rejecting it? How was she supposed to know not to feel guilty about being bored at a historic site? She couldn’t even express her true feelings of loneliness and homesickness but rather let everyone assume the worst of a girl who had lost touch with her roots. The girl didn’t understand that it wasn’t her fault, so she left the city with her head down.
-Michelle Liu ’23
Shawn Meng
Excerpt from “How to Make Hong Shao Rou (Braised Pork Belly)”
You need:
10 pounds of pork belly, fresh like jelly
9 times mom held my hand while boiling vermicelli
8 organic onions, wring my eyes
7 WeChat messages read and reread, words of the wise
6 star anises, a pinch of pepper
5 traditional spice jars, each a reminder of my ancestors
4 sprouts of shallots, sticks of oily green
3 proud Asians representing their roots, cultures, experiences in between
2 teaspoons of soy sauce, seductive red on the meat
1 frozen soul in jade, calm, warm, focused, bittersweet.
-Shawn Meng ’22
Savannah Mills-Hall
Excerpt from “The Room Where it Happens”
You see what is present in the system
It is not
The room of reason
Or the room of equality
Or the room of stability
It is the room of purposeful intimidation
And inhumanity, tearing lives apart and not looking back
It is clear
You can tell simply from the air
-Savannah Mills-Hall ’23
Chinelo Osakwe
Ode to Nostalgia
I do not really have
an appreciation for
as much as a
respect for
these nostalgic multitudes.
The honor is well deserved–
to hold the power one does
over memories. To
embody all six senses–
sight, taste, smell, hearing,
feeling, the touch kind,
feeling, the emotion kind–
and bombard our presumptuous present
with the sacrilegious past…
Well done.
Nostalgia knew nothing and knows everything,
(an omnipotent force never to be reckoned with)
(a civil war against our sacred mental civilization)
climbed the hypotenuse of our old age and rips it apart,
bit by bit,
chunk after chunk,
with us on its back–
-Chinelo Osakwe ’23
Nandini Ramanathan
Candid
On the wall lives a picture from fifteen years ago
A simple picture
A picture taken only because there was a baby in it
Me, with my grandfather.
Interjection:
My grandfather is a gruff old man
Highly intelligent
And not given to smiles, hugs, or large displays of emotion.
He loves to argue about business strategy
And religiously reads Bloomberg Businessweek.
He doesn’t cook
And is very uncomfortable around babies.
He was holding me up in the air
And I was laughing
And he looked like the happiest man in the world.
-Nandini Ramanathan ’23
Zarin Rizvi
Excerpt from “My Second Name”
As I stood up to accept the honor, my knees felt wobbly. But I continued to hike towards the stairs pointing to the stage. A big grin masked my face while my eyes lit up a fiery brown. As I inched closer to my principal and reached out to grab the certificate, he called out my second name, which instantaneously abolished the delight bursting out of me. My grin immediately disappeared, and my big brown eyes shattered like the first day of kindergarten all over again.
-Zarin Rizvi ’24
John Sihn
Excerpt from “Jeanette Rankin: A Voice that Rings True Today”
Her passion for civil rights carried over into adulthood, when Rankin started her political career by running for Montana’s House seat as a Republican in 1916. She held a strong progressive agenda, pushing for a constitutional female suffrage amendment and a resolution for social welfare issues. She came in second place, winning one of Montana’s seats and becoming the first woman to be elected to the United States Congress.
-John Sihn ’22
Ethan Song
Excerpt from “A Lotus Blooms at Midnight”
There’s a lot left to be learned, of course. But he could still make time. Time for empires to rise and fall. Time for the shadows to lengthen on the blades of grass, time to repeat his mistakes; time for him to live and die like he was meant to all along.
-Ethan Song ’24
Isabella Wang
Excerpt from “first quarter”
gaze up at airbrushed sky
at fog hanging low and clouds drifting high
grasp at serendipity and pray for luck
search meadows for a hint of an extra leaf
three green hearts and one more
under a dim light covered by the dust
off a moth’s wings
you are made of cinders
the scraps of a beautiful flame
breathe in air laced with possibility
from embers grow such radiant blaze
-Isabella Wang ’24
Ella Xue
Excerpt from “The Story of the Doe and the Fox”
So the doe and fox gaily parted ways to their separate worlds, the former returning to her bright day and the latter returning to his busy night. But this is why, now, you’ll find the fox ever-so active at dawn and dusk, chattering with the chipmunks and bluebirds, reveling in merriments beneath the sunshine. And at twilight, you’ll spot the doe and her little fawn frolicking under the starry sky, the heavens above them ablaze with fire.
-Ella Xue ’23
Angela Ye
Excerpt from “hey peter,”
tonight I’m walking along the pier
the streetlights are lonelier than usual
beams dim and faltering
never able to reach each other’s hands
the waves scatter the light
golden freckles glimmering on the surface
maybe you left your fairy dust here on the water
we used to laugh about how forgetful you are
-Angela Ye ’24
We would like to thank all of the artists for their hard work and talent. We are proud to share their work with you all and look forward to showcasing even more talent in the future.