Axel Bautista, age 16

"Myths and monsters are simply entities that can be given different personalities than what we may assume they may have. The rabbit hiding behind the car may seem scary or frightening, but it may be shy and anxious, which is why it hides behind the car. The receipt fits the myth side as a mysterious receipt with a series of hieroglyphics was taped to this bench. Where did the receipt come from? Why tape it to this bench? What do the drawings symbolize? All up to the myth."

Brennan Chan, age 14

Christopher Yee, age 18

Dafnee Aguilar, age 13

Delilah Ponton, age 16

The biggest picture is my favorite picture of the summer because my group mentors and I went into the dark room and experimented with light. Isn't it scary? Aren't you scared? The theme this year was Myths and Monsters. Myths are cool because they can turn into rabbit holes you stay up until 3 reading about. I feel that way about murder mysteries. Monsters are scary because you don't want to die by monster. I feel that this summer has been the spookiest one of all. There were tons of laughs and gaffs but definitely spooky.

Frida Calvo Huerta, age 17

"Just like myths, memes are a form of communication within the masses. The myth of the Flying Dutchman was seen as an omen of oncoming doom, predicting a shipwreck to the unlucky crew that set eyes upon it when in reality, it’s an optical illusion — a mirage that messes with a crew that had been lost for too long at sea. Monsters originate from fears, cautions, life stories, warnings, lessons to pass down. Memes often take situations out of context to satirize them. One of their many purposes, other than humor, is to act as defense mechanisms to deal with reality (which is often disappointing). For example, in a world where roughly the same amount of Americans believe in Bigfoot as they do the big bang theory, memes have become necessary so we can laugh about it instead of cry. Memes foster a sense of community; creating inside jokes in mass proportion, layering knowledge of the past and present. Memes have become the modern day versions of myths."

Geri Urgel, age 17

"Over the summer, I had the opportunity to explore the theme of Myths and Monsters. At first, I was disappointed since I am not a big fan of mythology and beasts. However, I took on the challenge to explore the theme with an open mind which led me to make new connections with my photographs. 

Myths are man-made narratives that have been passed on from generation to generation. As time passes, myths change through the retelling of these stories where some details may be added, erased, or exaggerated. This brings me back to my photographs, where each experience their own change: the once clear window is now covered by moss, the once white sink is now corroded, and the once new window pane is now aged and broken. Like myths changed by the influence of each passing generation, these man-made objects in my work have been changed over time by the reaction of different elements. As a result, some parts of these objects are now transformed or missing."

Gisella Chan, age 15

Jasmine Sanchez, age 13

"As you can see, not everything is all about colors. Mine are black and white and I think it shows meaning to it. When I see a black and white picture and you look deeply to that photo, you know what it’s talking about. Art doesn’t know ____ . That is what I like about black and white photos. It shows a meaning behind the image."

Josiah Delorenzo, age 17

"Part of what makes a myth is its mystery. Myths are created from our own imagination and imagination is what gives myths the power they have over us. There are limitless possibilities when it comes to our imagination and I love that myths allow us to create entire universe’s beyond what actually exists. The stories that we tell become a reality in our own minds. 

The inspiration for the photos I take comes from the uniqueness of the moment.  The moments I like to capture are mysterious: influenced by the setting, mixture of colors, and overall ambience of that moment that feels special to me. There is no specific object that is the main focus of the photo, but the objects that are present add to the overall feeling or effect the photo invokes. What makes these photos unique is that they weren’t taken for the sole purpose of trying to fit in with the overall theme; these photos were taken based on my own perspective and what I felt I wanted to photograph. Like myths, I like that they can be interpreted differently depending on the person observing them."

Juan Pablo Calvo Huerta, age 14

"Myths are stories and creatures people believe in that aren’t necessarily true. Everyone knows about Roman, Jewish, and Greek myths, but not a lot of people know about urban myths. 

The first photo was inspired by the Hydra, a monster in Ancient Greek mythology. The monster is a dragon-serpent hybrid that grows two heads every time one is cut off. The sculpture has only two heads because two’s company but three’s a crowd." 

Karen Guan, age 18

"I like taking pictures of objects, plants, and scenery rather than photos with people or animals as a focus. I think that pictures of scenery can make you feel like you are there in the moment and I hope to be able to create that feeling. With my photos, in relating to this year's theme of Myths and Monsters, I hope that they will be able to show where myths or monsters may be lurking. I wasn't too sure of what to show for the gallery because I mostly went in blindly taking photos that I would like and I hope that others would like them too, even if they don't see it fitting with the theme that well."

Zicheng (Kelly) Huang, age 18

"I like to take photos of objects or structures that capture my eyes in my everyday life. Curious objects that spark my imagination and inspire me to capture that in an image. The subjects of these photos are meant to capture a sense of wonder for what myths and tales may surround them, an encased fairyland, isolated ship among the cities, and rustic buildings by water."

Kianna Ng, age 16

"I like to take photos of objects or structures that capture my eyes in my everyday life. Curious objects that spark my imagination and inspire me to capture that in an image. The subjects of these photos are meant to capture a sense of wonder for what myths and tales may surround them, an encased fairyland, isolated ship among the cities, and rustic buildings by water."

Kieffer Chan, age 12

Lilian Truong, age 18

"These photos capture a fleeting moment. Tomorrow, you won’t be able to capture the same exact scene nor could you capture the same scene tomorrow. 

These photos share many similarities: they’re black and white, they have objects framing a focus, but most of all, these photos project the message: away from home. That’s how I believe these photos fit the theme. I could name a multitude of myths where the protagonist leaves home to find their own destiny. Away from home is where the adventure lies, whether good or bad.

I am inspired by photos of everyday life. I enjoy photos with layers and framing, thus many of my photos include leaves, branches, and fences. My photography means something I never noticed before from a new perspective. But once I discover this perspective, I am quick to forget. Thus, I need to capture this moment now or never."

Nicole Aguilar, age 11

Nicole Lee, age 15

"(This short story that you’re about to read is all up to your imagination and what you will do as the character of this story.)

You are under the streetlight, you look up to see a foggy sky and a tall building. You blink a few times somewhat confused on why you are looking up. Why were you here? Its like you went into a new realm. You keep questioning your surroundings...Will you panic or stay calm?

You were just enjoying the scenery until you glanced down. Startled by this decapitated hand just sitting there. Who did it belong to? Was it from a zombie? Was it one of Frankenstein's hands? You arrived too late to find out who it truly belonged to… But did you even want to find out? You’ll have to leave it up to your imagination.

You have encountered many paranormal things not fully sure what they were but you have gone far enough and this is the end of the path. You see a boat not far off, you can finally escape from this terrifying place. But you are still left with the choice to leave or stay...which will you choose?

Note: You know how an author has their reader? Well I wanted my own “reader” but that won’t make sense now will it? So you’ll be my “Seeker.” You might have already entered the world that I conjured up. But that was based on my imagination and creativity...I wanted my Seeker to have their own version of this story, their own character. Maybe talk to another one of these Photographs Seekers. Let's listen to what their characters think or did in that realm of mine."

Raymond Denman, age 16

Saham Almehin, age 12

"The theme Myths and Monsters means, to me, something that kills you. It can be anything like wine, beer, cigarettes. [One of my images] has a picture of a cigarette. In my opinion, a cigarette is a monster because it kills people and monsters kill people. What my art means to me is that monsters don’t have to look scary or be big. It can be anything as long as it hurts you."

Sujei Delgado, age 17

Tatiana Coreas-Arana, age 13

"These pictures are moody. Two of the pictures are dark. The third shows art. I also like graffiti because there is a history behind it. Graffiti used to be carved out on walls in ancient times. African-American, Latinos, and others used graffiti to show who they are or what they feel. I chose these pictures because I saw that they have similarities and feelings. My favorite myth is Percy Jackson the Lightning Thief."

Wesam Almehin, age 14

"The theme Myths and Monsters means many things. Monsters can be destructive physically, for example, destroying buildings and bridges like Godzilla. Or, they can destroy someone mentally, for example, drugs. Drugs destroy the brain step by step. I don’t know much about myths or monsters. The only monsters I know of are pollution and drugs and Godzilla. So, most of my monster photos are actually monsters like sharks and such. I had fun with the topic. It was my first year doing something like this."

Winnie Lew, age 18

Michael Flores-Jimenez, age 16

"I like these photos because they're colorful and bright. The theme Myths and Monsters make me think that you are being hypnotized by something while looking at these."

Lupe Reyes

Growing Up, a solo exhibition by 2019 Artist-in-Residence Lupe Reyes, perfectly captures the story of childhood. 

Ella Potashner, age 14

Thy Ha, age 12