The recipient of the $2,000 Middle School Best in Show prize was eighth grade student Fuhan (Lila) Xue, who attends Chaparral Middle School in Diamond Bar, California. Lila chose Unsung Hero Oscar Howe as the inspiration for her digital artwork, Breaking the Chains by Brushstroke. “I wanted to capture Oscar Howe’s artistic energy and his fight for the change of prejudice and stereotypes. I created a digital painting showing him holding a brush, surrounded by broken chains and vibrant swirling colors. The broken chains represent the limitations and stereotypes he fought against. The swirling colors are inspired by Howe’s own works and style, symbolizing his creativity, courage, and cultural pride,”explains Lila. Read Lila’s full Impact Statement for more details about her vision for this project.
Grace Zhang, an eighth grade student from Jericho Middle School in Long Island, New York, won the $1,000 Middle School Second Place prize for Bus Ride to Equality, a gouache painting that features Unsung Hero Irene Morgan. “Irene Morgan’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement has been overlooked but was very crucial, helping launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott and inspiring figures such as Rosa Parks to act against segregation,” writes Grace. Read Grace’s full Impact Statement for more about her use of symbolism in this project.
Read all Impact Statements
2025 Winners and Finalists
Congratulations to all the 2025 Awardees and their sponsoring educators and guardians! The Impact Statements for the 2025 winners and finalists are now posted for each project on the ARTEFFECT Website. Read the Winners and Finalists to learn more about the inspiration of these young artists in choosing their Unsung Heroes as a roles models, and their artistic processes and creative interpretations.
Meet our 2024-2025 Ambassador Archana Kamani, Visual Arts Teacher at Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies in Plainfield, NJ.
Each ARTEFFECT Ambassador culminates their visual arts online fellowship with a capstone project that brings the inspiring stories of the LMC Unsung Heroes into their classrooms and communities. As the yearlong program comes to its end, Archana shared about her capstone project. Here is an excerpt from her narrative:
“For my capstone project, I developed and implemented a visual art lesson centered around the Unsung Heroes theme. The focus was on individuals who have made a significant impact on the world, yet whose stories are often left untold. Using ARTEFFECT resources, I designed a comprehensive, scaffolded curriculum that guided students through historical research, creative brainstorming, and artistic execution.”
Thank you to Archana and the students at Plainfield Academy for your creativity and inspiring ARTEFFECT projects!
Congratulations to Archana and her student, Charlize Holmes (Grade 11) for winning a Certificate of Excellence in the 2025 Competition! Charlize’s project, A March to Remember, a charcoal on paper drawing, focuses on Unsung Hero Sheyann Webb.
