* Honorable Mention: Sonya Barnett – Halo

Artist: Sonya Barnett
Title: Halo
Grade: 10th
School: Bentley Upper School
Teacher: Aram Muksian

I created this piece using a Canon camera, a handheld flashlight, and a dark room. I wanted to create this work as a visual representation of the huge amounts of work and daily stress I and many others may encounter. The halo of light illuminating the girl, which is me, represents two sides of the story. The first meaning is the burden of homework and stress that is constantly in the back of my mind. The light is supposed to represent a barrier of sorts, protecting against panic attacks and giving some hope in the coming days or possibly overexposing her to reality. The other side of the story is that the light ring may be there to hold onto the inner child, childhood being a time of innocence where one did not have to worry about the next big project or paper. Lastly, the position of the girl can be interpreted in many ways but I think she is showing the struggle and sadness of getting lost in her thoughts and overwhelmed by life.