Harborfields HS Senior Named Among Long Island’s Best Young Artists

GREENLAWN, NY — Samantha Urmaza, a senior at Harborfields High School, was selected for the prestigious Long Island’s BEST Young Artists Exhibit, the school district announced.

Her original piece, titled "Manananggal (Severance)," is currently on display at The Heckscher Museum in Huntington. The Heckscher Museum offers students an opportunity to show their work in a professional gallery setting.

For Urmaza, this is the second time her artwork has been selected for this exhibit.

This annual juried exhibition features extraordinary works of art created by high school students throughout Long Island. Nearly 500 works of art were submitted, but only 77 were chosen for display in the exhibition. All student artwork is inspired by work exhibited in the museum during the 2024-2025 school year.

Urmaza based her creation on Ruth Douzinas' work, Star Store, where she used stitchwork and textiles to explore both connection and repair.

"I aimed to create a sense of detachment and chaos by unraveling and tangling thread," Urmaza said about her piece. "As a part of my series exploring Filipino mythology, I decided to create a piece inspired by the 'manananggal.'"

The manananggal is a spirit who takes the form of a young, beautiful woman during the day, but at night its torso detaches from its lower body to feed on the vulnerable — babies, children and pregnant women, for example.

While the manananggal is rooted in native folklore, it was used to weaponize indigenous Filipino women during Spanish colonization. Women who did not fit conservative western standards, such as leaders, priestesses, and healers, were considered heretics and therefore deemed incarnations of the malicious spirit.

Urmaza used this as inspiration to highlight the separated, visceral physicality of the manananggal, but also to showcase the emotional and societal alienation of women who reject the public’s expectations of them.

Urmaza was honored at an awards ceremony alongside other young artist honorees on April 5.

The exhibit is set to run through May 25. Click here for more information about the museum and this year’s exhibit.