Cross-Cultural Contest
2023 Arts Contest Winners
PCCU is happy to announce the winners from the 2023 Cross-Cultural Contest: Arts. After careful review, we selected 3 winners (Prize: 1st-place winner - a $300 Amazon gift card, 2nd-place winner - a $150 Amazon gift card, 3rd place winner - a $50 Amazon gift card) . Thank you everyone for your inspiring submissions! Please celebrate with us and view their photos and writings. Also, look out for 2024's contest coming soon!
First Place Winner
Komalpreet Kaur
11th grader at the Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights (Teacher: Hyun Ju Tsoutsouras 안현주 / Korean teacher)
Scroll down to see read more about her two works of art.
Tears of the Wilderness
"When growing up, one thing we all had in common was a teddy bear, or any stuffed animal. A stuffed animal that would give us happiness and comfort as a kid. When we get older, some of us start owning pets, which we end up sharing a unique bond with and end up developing attachments with because of the companionship they provide us with, a form of love is being given and received. But have we ever thought about animals that live in the wilderness or stray animals? We may call ourselves animal lovers but end up ignoring strays. When drawing this painting, I also thought about animals that have lost their homes due to natural disasters, such as wildfires, which proved many animals to enter the city, which we humans immediately took as a negative thing, a form of danger. During COVID-19, we felt like animals because we were in lockdowns, but animals that are shown for our entertainment in zoos may feel like that too, they are used as a form of business and advertisement, and most products we use on ourselves are tested and if you search that up you would know how cruel it is. This painting showed a bear that is crying, when I drew this I thought about a Baby bear whose mom was captured to be placed in a zoo because she was seen as a DANGER in her own HOME. Maybe we should take a moment and think about what's happening to animals in our world. And the reason why they are treated so badly?"
Being a Female
"I believe that every human being struggles whether it's a male or a female in this world to survive or complete their legend. A personal legend is a goal you always dreamed of or a desire that you want to accomplish. Since I am a female from a cultured background I believe that even though all human beings struggle, females end up struggling more. In this drawing, I drew a female that's wrapped in a red rope held in a place, this can be related to a cage but when I was painting this the red rope represented something. This red rope represents negativity and responsibilities that tie a female leading her to not move forward with her life and or completing her goal, leading her to be stuck in one place. The red rope can represent traditional culture; in most parts of the world, the only role a woman is shown playing is being in charge of taking care of their elders, and children and completing their household tasks by being a HOMEMAKER, they are expected to cook, clean and do other stuff related to running a household. Males were always expected to be the ones leaving the house and work. In most undeveloped countries females were stopped from gaining too much education because then when they come to the age of marriage their parents have to find a groom who has gained more knowledge because men were always supposed to be a level above the female. When also looking at society's expectations, if a female is beautiful she is more likely not to gain insecurities—additionally looking at statistics women are paid less than men. At last, this all is related to my painting because it holds the dream of a female who wishes to also be free without getting tied by this society."
Second Place Winner
Amy Stamm
Teacher, Special Education 9-12th Grade
Hampshire Educational Collaborative (HEC) Academy, MA
I love this photo not just for its composition, but because of the moment in the 2023 PCCU conference that it portrays. After Theresa Kang announced that the teacher of the scheduled calligraphy workshop was unable to teach it, workshop participants with a background in calligraphy immediately volunteered to help novices to learn basic calligraphy techniques. In the foreground is Chanhee Suh, a high school student who presented at the conference on her brilliant AP art project reimagining characters from Korean mythology. And next to her is another participant who had studied calligraphy and generously jumped in to help collectively teach it. All of the participants worked together and supported each other, and in the end, the workshop was a memorable success. This workshop, like so many at the conference, gave a place of honor to traditional Korean art forms.
Third Place Winner
Aruha Syed
Student at the Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights (Teacher: Hyun Ju Tsoutsouras 안현주 / Korean teacher)
Fake or not? How can you tell?
I've always been a fast texter
Perhaps it's because I'm constantly on my phone
Or maybe it's because some days I feel completely alone
That allows me to have a small superpower
The power to notice small changes
Such as when people's typing styles become a bit stranger
They can go from sending emojis to a one-word exchange
I try to keep conversation going because I care about people I know
And they were responding so fast
It's weird that now they're so slow
I only have a few people in my circle
Honestly, I try to keep it pretty small
Friends I know would pick up
If I suddenly decide to call
When new people try to join
I don't mind
I'm very lenient
But they'd only answer when it was convenient
The worst ones? The crushes
Some you don't know very well
They might be interested in you
But really, how can you tell?
When you really need someone
Some people, so fake, they'd never even know
So when you have your own celebration
Your own inner circle
They'd want to be on that list of invites
But before...
Breakdown after breakdown
They couldn't have cared any less
So when you're at the top
When you've cleared out your mess
That's when they express
That they want you around
I'm judged
What is it really like to be a woman?
You must walk in pairs when it's dark outside
And only the paths with streetlights
I'm judged
Make sure your phone,
fully charged before exiting your home
Don't forget to message your friends
When you safely return
I'm judged
Cover your figure
That skirt is too short
Cover your legs
And just like that, you're considered an object
I'm judged
The lengths some must go through to be safe? Too much to even say
We also have a fear of looking good
Just to fit what other people think
But what do I think?
I think that I don't wanna wear makeup for the rest of my life
I don't wanna wear a mask to look good
It's the same as lying, in my opinion
Do this
Do that
I'm judged
I don't want to be judged
I want to be free
Not like I'm living someone else's fantasy
Of what I should be
Good grades
Little Miss Perfect
Good makeup
Little Miss Perfect
Good behavior
Little Miss Perfect
I'm judged
One mistake
Little Miss Failure
One breakdown
Little Miss Failure
One tear
Little Miss Failure
I'm judged
I have a loud laugh
But my tears will fill up the ocean
I love like I've never been hurt before
We're all judged
We don't want to be judged
we want to be free
Continue below to see other amazing submissions we received for this year's contest. Select the images to magnify them and see the descriptions. Thank you to all who participated!
