We, too, are made of wonders












FOYA 2025
WONDER
The 2025 Festival of Young Artists theme "Wonder" is inspired by the work of 24th U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón. Her poetry inspires us to find beauty and meaning in our surroundings and in everyday moments. Limón urges us to maintain a sense of awe and curiosity even when hope seems distant, and she reminds us to appreciate the many wonders of life that foster resilience and discovery.
" We, too, are made of wonders, of great
and ordinary loves, of small invisible worlds,
of a need to call out through the dark."
- Ada Limón, In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa
Click here to read and hear Ada Limón’s
In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa

2025 Festival Winner
Visual Art Winner
Jenny Fang
Grade, 11
Shenendehowa
Acrylic Paint
Arise
Arise is a painting created with acrylic paint, and the underlying message of this art piece is mankind's evolution. I started with painting the stones, including the cracked stone figure, using a grayscale color palette, which was followed by layering on a mixture of clear gloss medium and blue paint that toned the painting—creating an underwater effect. I then painted the water's surface with realistic details such as water ripples, a blurred image of trees, and a penetrating light to further enhance the visual appearance of being submerged underwater. The final feature I added to my art piece was the transparent bubble figure, which I achieved through layering and blending the paint. Each of these components—the cracked stone figure, the contrast created from the light, and the bubble figure—was meaningfully added to convey my messages about mankind's evolution. The stones symbolize the lessons learned in the past and the older generation, who have created a foundation to aid the new and young. The light coming from the water's surface symbolizes hope, possibility, and transformation. The bubble figure symbolizes the new generation heading steadfastly into a new age. Together with these elements, I aimed to express how each generation after the other works to create a better future—forever evolving.

2025 Literary Winner, Gianna Zhang
Grade 9, Shaker High School
"we are both the artist and the canvas both the thread and the unraveling"
in the gaps we dream

2025 Performance Winner

Wonder
Saratoga Springs Youth Ballet

Explore the galleries of the Festival of Young Artists 2025, where creativity knows no bounds. Each gallery celebrates the selected submissions from this year's festival — a vibrant showcase of emerging voices and visions.
2025 GALLERIES

