Dichotomy of Change

Dichotomy+of+Change

Zoe Harms, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Junior Delphi Pentin was picked to exhibit her artwork for the 2021 NUMU Los Gatos Museum this year. Out of 580 submissions, Pentin was one of 79 chosen for this special event that showcases high school student artwork. On May 8th, a winner will be awarded a scholarship by the mayor of Los Gatos. 

 

After hearing about this opportunity from her art teacher, Mr. Gaeta, she thought it would be fun to participate in and even earn some scholarship money. During the submission process, she only had to submit one piece, and though the presented theme proved difficult, she was confident with her final piece. 

 

“The submission process was fairly easy. I had to submit my piece with specific requirements for the image type,” Pentin said. “I also had to submit my contact information, the category of art, the title, which was “Dichotomy of Change” and an artist’s statement to briefly describe my piece and how it relates to good trouble.” 

 

The theme “Good Trouble” comes from a quote by late Congressman John Lewis, who passed away in 2020. He was an activist in the community and an inspirational leader. The quote they are using for the theme is “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

 

Part of the submission included her artist statement, which had to be 75 words or less, which she struggled with because she had so much to say about her piece. Her statement is as follows:

 

“The two-headed snake represents the duplicity of choice when making change. At first glance, it seems the snake is trying to kill the frog. However, the frog, with its attractive exterior, camouflages its venom; thus, it seems the frog will kill the snake first. In opposition with itself, the snake’s second head is trying to stop its own nature. One may relate that sometimes you need to get into good trouble to make desired change.”

 

Pentin was a little surprised that she passed the submission process because she knew how many people she was competing against. Pentin excels in painting and drawing faces and challenges herself to make them as realistic as possible. She says the fine arts are her favorite, but she prefers to try other styles as well.

 

“I don’t really know what I will be going to school for in the future, but the probability of art school is low. I am leaning more towards business,” she said. Though she doesn’t know exactly what she wants to be, she is confident that art will always be apparent in her life and she enjoys doing it as a hobby.