13 Degrees of Separation

Dian Beganović, Kata Borg, Larissa Cashill, Olivia Coward, Mina Glanz, Erica Kane, Ruby Kezur, Jayden Link, Aster McNulty, Roxxy Ortiz, Naira Prince, Gilbert Wang, Ryan Williams 13 Degrees of Separation is the seventh annual exhibition of the CUE Teen Collective. This group show presents works by thirteen young artists that reflect upon their collective and individual identities. Through painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, mixed media, and video, students consider the many influences that unite and distinguish them. 13 Degrees of Separation is a visual exploration of collective singularity from the perspective of young artists in the process of establishing their future practices. 13 Degrees of Separation is organized by CTC Lead Educator Amanda Adams-Louis with support from CUE’s Gallery Associate, Jasmine Buckley. Dian Beganović is a New York City based fashion designer. He currently attends The High School of Art and Design, where he majors in fashion design. His favorite medium to work with is fiber-based textiles, such as knit and crochet. He is fascinated by the experimentation they allow and the fact that there are no rules or limits when it comes to working with fibers. In the future, Dian dreams of pursuing fashion design as his full-time job, starting his own name-brand, and hosting shows that showcase his designs. Kata Borg is an ambitious junior (16) at Pace High School. She is heavily involved in the school’s student government organization, and serves as president of both the debate team and the climate justice club. She is Japanese American and is dedicated to staying connected and giving back to her culture. Kata volunteers at the Sixth Street Community Center as a climate justice member, and is also a volunteer alum at a Japanese Saturday school. She returns to visit family in Japan annually, and has a middle school diploma of Japanese education. She raises a significant amount of funds with an organization for disaster relief in her mother’s home district in Japan. This is Kata’s first art exhibition outside of her high school, where she was a featured artist. She also has work that is soon to be published. Larissa Cashill is a 15-year-old artist from Brooklyn, NY, and is currently a sophomore at NYC iSchool. Larissa has had an interest in the arts since childhood, and she first began turning this hobby into a more thorough passion when she set a goal to draw every day during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although she has since moved on from this objective, she continues to make art as often as she can, expanding the mediums she works in from pencil drawing to acrylic paint, oil pastel, and digital media, among others. Larissa explores themes of nostalgia and memory in her work, highlighting the ways in which her life has been shaped by her past experiences and decisions. She utilizes events in her past and present to forge a path for the future, and though she may be unsure of what exactly lies ahead, she hopes to incorporate art somewhere into her envisionings. This is her first exhibition. Olivia Coward is a 16-year-old who lives in New York City. She is just as likely to be found wielding a paintbrush as she is a water polo ball, all while balancing a book on her head and a tray of freshly baked cookies in her hand—and while wearing the latest fashion trends and pedaling away on her bike! She is always growing and tries to be as positive as she can be. Mina Glanz is a 16-year-old girl who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She attends Bard High School Early College Queens, a liberal arts school where she learns about a variety of subjects and is also a part of the debate team. She has been making art since she can remember, exploring various materials and subjects. Her current favorite mediums are any type of paint and inkwork, and she has a love for fashion and character design. She is inspired by other forms of media, including books, movies, TV shows, and music, and she creates art out of a love for creativity and expression. Erica Kane is a 16-year-old junior at LREI who was born and raised in uptown Manhattan. Since she could hold a pencil, she has been practicing drawing, acrylic, and watercolor painting. In high school, she takes studio art, and for the past three years she has been exploring various mediums such as oil paint, relief and intaglio printmaking, pen and ink, and gouache. These new techniques have allowed her to see the possibilities of her practice, and have made her want to pursue a career as an artist. Nature, especially hikes through her grandparents' Vermont home, deeply influence her work. Another influence is her travels and exploration of other cultures, such as visiting her family in Denmark and England. You'll often find Erica biking through the city while listening to music. Ruby Kezur is a junior at Sleepy Hollow High School in Tarrytown, New York who discovered an intense love of contemporary mixed media in the fall of 2022. Over the past few years, Ruby has developed a newfound passion and outlet through their artmaking as well as a connection to the fabulous, creative, kind, and quirky souls of the New York City art world. Ruby creates art without a pencil, delving into sculpture, collage, printmaking, and all things contemporary mixed media. Outside of art, they direct community theater and dive into political thought, theory, and action, dedicating their time to volunteering at social justice groups. Raised with both Buddhist and Jewish traditions, Ruby’s intense connection to dharma and meditation greatly influence their art. They are eager and excited to continue discovering their voice through art this year, and to forge meaningful connections with others Jayden Link is a 16-year-old Swiss and American artist. She was born in Zürich, where she lived for thirteen years before moving to New York City. She attends the United Nations International School and has also studied at the Florence University of the Arts. Jayden is the founder of the not-for-profit organization Linking Cultural Creations, which serves as a platform for young artists who care about social issues, providing resources to use art for the greater good. She has participated in the Harvard FLPS conference, the Leadership Initiatives International Business Internship in Georgetown, the Student Diversity and Leadership Conference, and many Model UN Conferences. She has won the Innerview Ambassador award two years in a row. Jayden combines her passions for art and international relations through photography for UN-related events, events at her school, and with the Fashion Club, where she also serves as Creative Director. Aster McNulty is a multidisciplinary artist from New York City who primarily works with painting, music, and creative writing. Overall, they spend their time either in the depths of making, or having fun as any artist ought to. They are fond of matryoshka dolls, opalescence, marine life, embroidery, trees in winter and spring, and generally positive sensory experiences. They are seventeen years old and simultaneously seven and seventy-five. Aster has participated in a variety of gallery experiences, ranging from the Whitney to ArtsConnection, and they have had bad luck in competitions—but they have fun anyway. Having fun and creating stuff are Aster's main goals in life, and they hope to follow that passion wherever it takes them. However, it is worth noting that if they could just sit in a room and paint and write songs, stories, and pretentious musings on the internet for the rest of their life, they would definitely do that. Roxxy Ortiz is a 16-year-old Puerto Rican artist and musician from the Bronx. They attend Lower Manhattan Arts Academy as an art major, but spent their freshman and sophomore years at Talent Unlimited High School as a musical theater major. Roxxy has been involved in theater since they were five years old, both in and out of school, and although they haven’t done much musical theater since transferring, they still hold much love and respect for the art form. Musical theater shaped their identity and encouraged them to follow their other passions, such as singing and performing. Roxxy is currently in a punk band called Premonition with two of their best friends. The band performs around the city, and Roxxy plays guitar, sings and writes songs. They also sell their own art at local music and art shows. Roxxy has been on their art journey ever since they can remember. Growing up, art has always been a sense of relief to their overly anxious and busy mind, first with painting, and then evolving into collage, poetry, music, spray paint, and structural design. They have used various mediums to express what can’t be said, and to capture their perception of the world, what it means to be alive, what it is to grieve, and what it is to heal. Roxxy plans on going to an arts college, releasing their own music and having their work in more exhibitions to come. Naira Prince is a 10th grade student at Pace High School. Born in 2008, she has resided in Bedford-Stuyvesant all of her life. Naira has always been drawn to art as she developed in life. She is a published poet, taking part in Brooklyn Youth Company’s theatrical program for two years. Heavily influenced by her family and friends, her art reflected her life events. Her uncle's sudden death caused a halt in her creative process. Now, she has broken through and continues to make work and develop her practice. Gilbert Wang is a 16-year-old boy from Brooklyn, New York currently in the 11th grade at Stuyvesant High School. As a rising artist based in NYC, Gilbert is driven to create art both meaningful and creative. His passion stems from the environment he grew up in. Living in the heart of Suzhou for four years, he saw a lot of beautiful scenery, met many incredible people, and had plenty of fulfilling interactions. All of this has fueled his determination to recreate his experiences with his own hands. As he got older, he invested his time in the arts not only as a way to express his love for creativity, but also as a way to escape reality. Becoming involved in music, performing arts, and visual art, has been important to him, and he was also able to participate in the school theater and meet with acting mentors. Gilbert is currently taking AP Art Studio in school, and he is proficient in acrylic, pencil, and pastels. Ryan Williams is a 17-year-old artist based in New York, NY. He uses a range of media, including pen, pencil, colored pencil, watercolor, and acrylic. Since early childhood, he has been enamored with art and drawing, documenting his interests and passions on paper. He wishes to use his talents in art to recreate the animated media that he has loved all his life. He has created art that has been sold as merchandise, as well that has been displayed around his school and at home. Additionally, he has presented his work at an art show in his school, where one of the works was sold. He has greatly enjoyed working with the CUE Teen Collective over the past several months to learn about various applications of art in the real world and to curate a gallery exhibition alongside his peers.

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