This past month, Rebecca Lee ’21 won the third annual GA Student Choice Award with her piece, Feast. Her artwork will be displayed in the school and included in the Upper School’s Portfolio of Artistic Excellence.
This tradition began two years ago “as a way to support the [senior art] students and celebrate their work”, according to Mr. David Love, the Visual Arts Chair and Upper School Art Teacher. At the end of the year, senior visual arts honors students submit 1-3 pieces from any of their years in the Upper School to be voted on by the student body. This year, there were fifty-one submissions in total. Mr. Love describes the submitted work displayed in the Art Center as “some of the best work probably created at the school over the last few years.” He explains that the award was created to honor seniors and appreciate what they’ve created over the past four years in the Upper School. In addition, he especially values the aspect of student voting because it encourages students to look at the art and allows them to have their voices heard in the process.
The painting was one of four pieces in Rebecca’s Academy Scholars project, which she started in her freshman year. She explains that the mix of Japanese folklore and Chinese symbols relate to the “cultural blending that exists within [her] culture as a Taiwanese American.” In the painting, the woman is wearing a traditional Chinese wedding dress as well as a bridal headdress, modeled after an exhibit she saw in a museum in Taiwan. However, she was originally inspired to create the piece after reading the Japanese legend of Ukemochi (保食神), translated as “Goddess Who Protects Food.” The tale involves Ukemochi preparing a feast for her guests by spewing out various meals from her mouth. Disgusted, one of her guests kills her, and her corpse turns into more food that sustains the Japanese people. Rebecca reflects on the meaning behind her piece, mentioning, “this combination of sacrifice and food really reminded me of the role many immigrant mothers take on for their family.” Ukemochi sacrificing her body to feed the Japanese people can be compared to the extent of what immigrant mothers are willing to sacrifice for their families, something that Rebecca wanted to honor.
The combination of artistic technique and personal meaning in “Feast” most definitely makes it a worthy winner of the 2021 Student Choice Awards. Congrats to Rebecca on her accomplishment, and please look forward to seeing Feast displayed on the walls of GA soon!