Michelle Zheng
SCHOOL: AIMS College Prep High School
PILLAR: School Climate and Safety
ARTIST STATEMENT
When I think of the type of environment students have to learn in, I think of overworked, tired, and stressed out kids just trying to get by. People often neglect their own physical and mental health, so much to the point of self-extinction. This piece is supposed to highlight the "addiction" of the never ending cycle of working and working. I constantly see students bring a cup of caffeine to school everyday in order to have enough energy to get through the day. I used real coffee in this artwork and a mix of water colors to show the real dedication to work. In school, students are expected to work hard, thrive, and be creative, but where is there room for creativity and thriving when everything is so monotonous? Hence the all coffee-brown painting. School kills creativity and people start to lose touch with health and reality. Everyone is decaying around each other but barely anyone notices it because everyone is suffering.
