Alexandra Dubé

(b. 1990)
Desert Mountain High School

Nothing Is Real, 2008
oil on matboard

Thoughts that are generally opaque are stacks of files in the cabinet of my mind; I can see only what is on top. Those musings that fill me are translucent now, my ability to see multiple thoughts simultaneously is apparent. Through this shining disposition I paint. Curtains of ignorance fall through to the floors of my prior consciousness.  I render those who opened the doors initially.  Nothing is real.

(b. 1990)
Coronado High School

One Too Many, 2008
gelatin silver prints

Discrimination is an unrelenting force that drives people to hate without true reason.  It is a dark, ignorant mindset that has plagued too many for too long.  The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a group of white supremacists who formed in 1865 and are still active today.  Throughout the years, the KKK has committed hate crimes towards many people that they have deemed unfit for society just by the color of their skin.  This piece represents the evil in the KKK and prejudice towards others.  One person killed or hurt because of discrimination is one too many.

(b. 1990)
Desert Mountain High School

Freak, 2008
prisma pencil and ink

Art is the manipulation of our dreams and our thoughts using a variety of mediums.  Many artists’ ideas tend to come from distorted thoughts that push them creatively.  From these dreams we create new forms of design for our modern age.  Freak reflects my own distorted ideas and reveals the concept of finding my own identity.

(b. 1989)
Desert Mountain High School

Triskadekaphobia (fear of the number 13), 2008
terra cotta

Art is like a mirror.  It allows us to project our own feelings, viewpoints and experiences on the art that we see.  Don’t look into this piece and expect to find my view on society and politics, because you won’t.  Art is dynamic.  Look into your own psyche and find what this piece means to you.  Then you will see my message.

(b. 1989)
McClintock High School

My Friend, 2008
oil on canvas

Many kids grow up having an imaginary friend.  Even though they understand that it is not real, they play together for countless hours.  It does not even have to be a human friend.  It can be a horrible monster that gives protection at night and scares away bullies. As a kid, your imagination is the greatest it will ever be. With imagination comes play, laughter and joy.  So enjoy being a little crazy, be spontaneous, have fun and always use your imagination.

(b. 1989)
McClintock High School

Bright Side, 2008
oil on canvas

“Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye.”
                                          - Shakespeare

Think outside of the box.  One thing that may be ugly to you might be gorgeous to another.  To some, pollution is revolting.  When looking at a sunrise or a sunset, some see pollution and some see beauty.  When looking outside of the box, look on the bright side.

(b. 1991)            
Horizon High School

Untitled, 2008
mixed media

Malnutrition causes countless deaths every year. In the United States, obesity rates are rising while 14% of the world’s population is starving. Our country needs to stand up and help the impoverished nations and give light to the ignored issue of starvation.

(b. 1991)
Central High School

Untitled, 2008
gelatin silver print

Walk in beauty
with beauty before me
may I walk
with beauty behind me
may I walk
with beauty above me
may I walk
with beauty below me
may I walk
with beauty all around me
may I walk
wandering on a trail of beauty
Lively may I walk

1. Navajo Prayer

The history of our family, with its traditions and culture, is something that should be treasured.  Things stay the same despite the difference of the past and present.  The lands are free and full of beauty.  Wander it and you shall see.  “With beauty before me, may I walk.”  You look at me and one by one I see your faces.

(b. 1990)
Desert Mountain High School

Mudman and The Slink, 2008
terra cotta

In my work, there is no political satire.  There is no environmental concern.  There is no social commentary.  There is no message, but that is far from saying there is no point.  Art of pure creativity, art made to be enjoyed is just as valuable as art made to challenge.  My voice in art is one that asks the simple question, “Are you entertained?”  If I have done my job well, the answer is yes.

(b. 1990)
Coronado High School

Discontent, 2008
gelatin silver print

Unhappiness sweeps over the mind of a ten year old girl.  Why? Because she isn’t pretty enough, blonde enough or thin enough.  When did we become so focused on the outward appearance? Why is inner beauty, true beauty, overlooked?  Why, when there is so much more to life, is this the only thing that seems to matter?  Why is the girl being told to be something more, when she is perfectly fine the way she is?

(b. 1990)
Central High School

Eve’s Garden & Peaceful Water, 2008
gelatin silver print, hand color

When I created these two prints, I thought of the beautiful things that we still have on earth.  No one really takes time to appreciate nature.  I wanted to capture the beauty on film because the earth is now surrounded with pollution, violence and indulgence.  We need to be thankful for what is left before it is too late.

(b. 1992)
McClintock High School

Retrospect Cityscape, 2008
oil on canvas

I constantly look to see what surrounds me.  Where am I?  What am I doing?  Who am I?  To find the answer I must first ask these questions.  How did I get here? Why am I doing what I am doing?  What makes me who I am?  To seek the answer I turn around.  I look at the past.  What constitutes me?  My origins, my heritage, the things that came before me?  All these things have made me who I am.  I hallow my past when I proclaim my song.  Its voice lives on through mine.

(b. 1989)
Desert Mountain High School

The Box, 2008
oil on canvas

We are creative artists as children, but our imagination crumbles as we get older.  Only a few are able to endure society’s pressure to conform.  Even as the most free spirited artists, we get trapped in the “box.”  We will stick to only one thing, one idea and one passion.  We have to step out of the box in our minds to become talented artists.  Every day is the day to learn and explore new ideas.

(b. 1992)
McClintock High School

Retrospect Cityscape, 2008
oil on canvas

I constantly look to see what surrounds me.  Where am I?  What am I doing?  Who am I?  To find the answer I must first ask these questions.  How did I get here? Why am I doing what I am doing?  What makes me who I am?  To seek the answer I turn around.  I look at the past.  What constitutes me?  My origins, my heritage, the things that came before me?  All these things have made me who I am.  I hallow my past when I proclaim my song.  Its voice lives on through mine.

(b. 1991)
McClintock High School

A single voice can change the world, 2008
oil on canvas

Many people today do not stand up for their ideals because they feel unimportant and unheard.  “What can only one person do?”  This piece shows otherwise.  In this painting just one girl’s words shift the boundaries of the earth.  Her rings of sound change the definition of the world.  Her ideas, coming from her heart and her mind, are expressed through her mouth for the entire world to hear and be moved.

(b. 1991)
Central High School

Environment, 2008
gelatin silver print

I believe we need to work on saving our communities because people are killing our planet by littering.  People just throw trash on the ground.  We need to see the natural beauty of our planet.  Everyone needs to help by picking up trash and planting trees to make our planet more beautiful.

(b. 1991)
Desert Mountain High School

Breathing Ashes, 2008
Mosaic

As we are swimming through life, the dead always surround us.  Whether it is deceased vegetation or lost loved ones, death is all around.  It may seem horrific, but we need death as much as we need life to survive.  From birth, death is apparent in our lives and seems to become more obvious as we grow older and lose the innocence and protection of childhood.  In the end, we all must live through death to carry on.

(b. 1990)
Coronado High School

Unrestrained, 2008
gelatin silver prints

We have been given an extravagant, unrestrained gift of fantasy/imagination.  It is in that mind set that we are able to slip away from the harshness of reality in exchange for a few hours to let our imagination flow free, a few seconds to take chances, to be daring and a chance to see ourselves in a new light.  We exceed the boundaries of reason.

(b. 1990)
Coronado High School

Threads That Bind Us, 2008
gelatin silver prints and wire

The similarities of outward appearances,
Far outweighed by variations of character.

All built from the same foundation:
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen.

Despite conflict it will always continue…
The very basics of human interaction.

(b. 1990)
Central High School

Behind the Curtain, 2008
gelatin silver print

The world stage, upon which all must play, is filled with pretensions and misconceptions.  The situation for each person is different and the character each person plays is complex.  An entire life can be built on a façade.  Very few times does anyone see a glimpse of the actor’s true self.  So, more often than not, no one truly judges the inner feelings of another.

(b. 1989)
Desert Mountain High School

Abducted, 2008
acrylic and spray paint

Today the Lord Resistance Army in Uganda is abducting innocent children, handing them guns and forcing them to kill for a cause that they are not a part of.  It is estimated that more than ninety percent of the L.R.A.’s troops are children.  My work represents a child who was abducted and forced to join the rebel army against his own free will.  I expressed the feeling of being alone and not belonging by painting the boy back and white and looking as if he is being placed in a world that is not his own.

(b. 1991)
Horizon High School

ModernShores, 2008
mixed media

Issues concerning the environment are treated as a problem to be dealt with another day.  The health of our planet is set aside in favor of industrial and economic gain. We have reached the point where the environment is in crisis.  My artwork represents the amount of trash generated by a teen in a single afternoon.  When trash is dumped into rivers or into landfills, it eventually makes its way to the ocean, polluting one of our largest sources of food and oxygen.  People believe they cannot do anything to help the problem, but they can.  Recycling is a great start.  If every person recycled even one of these items each day, just imagine what my artwork would look like.

(b. 1989)
Horizon High School

Powerful By Land and Sea, 2008
ceramic and mixed media

This piece reflects my passion about women’s rights. Grace O’Malley, an Irish woman of the Elizabethan era, has been described as many things—a wealthy pirate, a resilient fighter and a knowledgeable captain—able to gain respect from her male peers.  Her clothes ripple in the wind, her helm looks weathered. All items suggest that she is enduring a turbulent storm. Grace does not drown in despair, but rather she is the anchor in disastrous times.  White dotted sash and blue royal captain’s coat mimic “Rosie the Riveter,” a symbol of determination and independence.  I believe that a woman can be as successful as any man.

(b. 1990)
Desert Mountain High School

Self Defense, 2008
oil pastel

We live in a society of fear.  Young women are set up to be vulnerable and detached.  They are constantly told what to fear, who to fear and why to fear.  As a result, young women put up fronts to protect themselves and hide their insecurities.  They separate themselves physically and emotionally from the things they fear, but also the things that make them human.  My piece demonstrates the contrast between strength and weakness, between being isolated and being exposed.  It explores the idea of defending ourselves and our femininity.

(b. 1991)
Central High School

Junk Yard, 2008
gelatin silver print

There is beauty in the texture of the abandoned cars, which are common on the Navajo Reservation.  The site of the landscape is dry and plain.  Things are taken by the sun.  Scraps around the desert are often used to make resourceful objects.  One step in the mud scars the ground.

(b. 1989)
Coronado High School

Helter-skelter Youth, 2008
gelatin silver prints

There are 2.5 million homeless Americans – 41% single men, 40% families with children, 14% single women, 5% unaccompanied youth; 66% suffer from mental illness or addiction to drugs/alcohol and 80% of homeless females are sexually or physically abused.
For nearly nine months I lived as a part of these statistics.  I felt I had lost my soul.  My survival depended completely on the man I was with.  I lived in constant fear.  I was trapped in a world that refused to let me break the cycle of abuse and addiction.  Hope is all I had to save me and I survived.

(b. 1990)
McClintock High School

Free Will, 2008
acrylic on canvas

Do you know who you are?  Will you ever know?  Look in the mirror and be who you see.  Do not be afraid of what other people think.  Live everyday like it is your last.

(b. 1989)
Central High School

The Tattooed Lady, 2008
gelatin silver print

The Past Is Tattooed On My Face
You look at me like shattered glass and all you see is my past. 
Look through the tattoos. 
See me for who I am, not for what I was. 
Let go of your prejudice. 
Be free of your stereotypes and accept me
For who I am.
I am a person, I make mistakes…
You are human too.

(b. 1990)
Coronado High School

Mechanics, 2008
gelatin silver prints

Focus, depth, light, shadow, angle,
All taken, all considered.
The technique of photography
Always adapting, always changing.
Photography the technical art, having the
Fine art quality and the technical process of a
Powerful science.

(1989 - 2008)
Coronado High School

Unfinished Conversations, 2008
gelatin silver prints

In memory of my student and our friend Nicholas Strange who passed on April 12, 2008.

“Our lives are richer by having known you.”
- Dyan Cavalli

(b. 1991)
Desert Mountain High School

Mother Industry, 2008
acrylic and enamel

Every issue we come across is divided between two opposing forces.  My painting represents the conflict between urban industry and Mother Nature.  Our society cannot determine which one is good and which one is evil.  I have the same conflict everyday within myself.  We have to find a compromise to create equilibrium in every situation, which will help us grow and accept change.

(b.1991)
Horizon High School   

We Didn’t Start The Fire!, 2008
stained glass and chains

We Didn’t Start The Fire was made to convey the message of women who changed the world, for either better or worse, by either unblemished moves or “nefarious” acts. Here, you see the four women: Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette and ‘Madame’ Marie Curie in all their crude glory. When we see these women today in popular media, we see them as intelligent, impossibly beautiful women and we believe we see the real thing. What we are really seeing are shells, lifeless puppets that match today’s expectations of women. The holes and the weird shapes of the panels represent the ways we have taken their lives, warped them and left out important bits and pieces, forever lost to the wind. On one side of the panels, you see flat silver and on the opposite, you see life. These women were bound to their fates by golden chains that they were unable to break free of, no matter how hard they tried.

(b. 1990)
Horizon High School

Thriving, 2008   
raku ceramics        

This piece shows the frustration society can instill on creative individuals.  The thorny vines are trying to break past unspoken laws, not quite able to venture far from the familiar into the unknown and the different.  A rose cannot become full and brilliantly colored if it is contained by fear and expectations. The ability to be creative should not be limited by the way in which it may be expressed.

(b. 1991)
Desert Mountain High School

Listless Lady Liberty, 2008
Mixed Media

Adults today have the mentality that the new generation is going to take America down in flames.  They tell us that if we do not start caring about our future, we will not have a future.  The truth is adults have been saying that to our youth for a long time.  It is not that we do not care about the future; it is that we would rather take advantage of being young and live in the moment.  We will find our place in history without destroying our country in the process.

(b. 1990)
Desert Mountain High School

The Three Little Pigs, 2008
ceramic

Obesity has consumed approximately ninety-seven million people across the United States.  Many people devour foods with no recollection or concern of what they are eating.  The food that people feast on has an enormous effect on their bodies, inside and out.  It changes their physique, not to mention their health.  These people completely morph into the objects they fear the most…the food on the plate in front of them.

(b. 1990)
Central High School

They Won’t Remember, 2008
gelatin silver print

Admit it or not, most people won’t go down in the history books. They will not be remembered, despite all vain attempts for fame.  That’s alright.  We shouldn’t live life for others, but for ourselves.  What we remember about our own life is what really matters.  For me, it is the quiet and solitary moments that I take the most pride in.  It is in those moments that I learn the most about myself.

(b. 1991)           
Horizon High School 

Toxic World, 2008    
ceramic and mixed media                                               

I feel that the human race is destroying the earth. The toxic chemicals that are buried underground or dumped into the ocean are polluting the earth. Humans are not thinking of future generations, and what will happen when we have no clean water or good soil.

My artwork shows the beautiful earth cracked and spewing out pollutants projecting a voice of doom as we move on through each generation.