Friday, March 29, 2024

Dragon Artist Named Finalist in Global Art Competition

Southlake Carroll soon to be Senior, Yasaman Sahba, was recognized nationally as a finalist in the 2012 Young Artists and Authors Showcase. This competition is held by Sister Cities International, a non-profit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities.

"Interconnection" by Yasaman Sahba

Sahba’s artwork titled “Interconnection” (pictured right) was submitted for creative works of art interpreting the theme “Youth as a Catalyst for Change” and was named as a Top 10 Finalist. Her piece will be on display at the 2012 Annual Conference in Jacksonville, FL. from July 12-14. Following the conference, all finalist art will then go on tour to select Sister City locations around the country for the rest of the year. The artwork will be in Southlake for public viewing later this year, beginning December 15 through January 31, 2013.

The art piece was created with a circuit board pattern blended over Internet news articles that discussed global issues. Also included was a face in the corner as a way to connect humans to technology, as challenged by the competition’s theme.

“With things like Facebook, twitter, Google and online news services, we really can’t afford to be apathetic about what’s happening on the other side of the planet anymore,” said Sahba on her artwork, “Everything is so interconnected these days and I tried to illustrate that in my piece.”

Sahba said she found out about the competition through Carroll Senior High School’s Art department, and that it wasn’t until after the finalists were announced that she attended a Southlake Sister Cities meeting and learned more about the organization.

“It’s too late for me to do something like that through Sister Cities,” said Sahba, “but the whole idea of bringing different cultures and people together is wonderful, and my family and I would really like to get involved in the future.”

Jeff C. Wang, President of Southlake Sister Cities and a member of Southlake City Council, says they are planning a formal presentation to Sahba during an upcoming council meeting.

“Even though Yasaman did not take home the grand prize, I consider her one of the winners since there are only 6 finalists, including the grand prize winner, selected from the US,” said Wang.

Wang also said Southlake Sister Cities is currently working on several major projects and events, including sponsoring 2012 Japan American Grassroots next month and Wuzhong China exchange programs.

An image of a family bowling and dining

Photo of a solar eclipse