Chosen as the winner of Sage Hill’s 2016 Art Challenge, junior Abby McGuire’s art will be featured at this year’s Multicultural Fair. Her piece, which is painted and depicts a human face bearing the flags of different nations, was inspired by McGuire’s thoughts on diversity.

“I want people to understand that diversity is a good thing and when you have such diverse things such as all these countries’ flags they can all come together to create another beautiful thing,” McGuire said.

According to the artist, the piece took her about a month to make, during which she made use of class time and the guidance she received from her AP Studio Art teacher Donna Okamura.

“She’s kind of my mentor. She helps me if I come across anything, even the basic ‘What color should I use?’ or ‘How do I make this a better form?’” McGuire said.

When first putting the piece together, McGuire encountered some difficulty. Although initially intending for there to be a different background and for the face to resemble a mask with open eyes, after showing it to Okamura McGuire said they both agreed something was missing, and McGuire made the adjustments.

Nevertheless, McGuire is happy with the way her piece ultimately turned out and genuinely enjoyed the process of making it.

“I was really excited about it to begin with and to me that’s the most important part…” she said.