Artwork by two Socorro Independent School District students has been selected through the Texas Art Education Association Youth Art Month Program to be displayed in the Texas Capitol.
SSG Manuel R. Puentes Middle School eighth-grader Fiona Yang and El Dorado High School senior Matthew Garcia created pieces of artwork that will decorate the walls of the capitol this spring.
Yang said the piece she submitted was something she had been working on for a while and she loved it so much she decided to submit it into the state contest.
“When I heard I won and that it was going to the capitol of Texas I freaked,” Yang said.
Her teacher, Karina Alvarez, was pleased that Yang received the distinguished honor.
“I feel extremely proud to have one of my students selected in the Texas State Capitol Art Exhibit,” Alvarez said. “It’s an honor to be selected and represent our school, our district, and the El Paso Community. Huge congratulations to Fiona for her dedication and achievement.”
Garcia said the piece he submitted was initially a class assignment and that he didn’t imagine his artwork would be selected because the odds were so high.
“When my teacher told me to enter the piece, I didn’t think it would get far,” Garcia said. “It was a big surprise. It felt like a big accomplishment.”
His teacher, Virginia Castaneda, said she always knew Garcia’s work was a winning piece one way or another.
“When we were asked by the Fine Arts Department to submit some works for the competition, I immediately thought of Matthews’ piece…” Castaneda said. “It’s very exciting!”
Yang and Garcia were chosen among 125 students from 68 participating Texas school districts for the honor.
