Bryn Mawr Teens Wins New York Times Art Contest

BRYN MAWR, PA — Two teens from Bryn Mawr were featured in the New York Times, as they were selected among numerous others who created art pieces that reflected their experiences during 2021.

Art by Julia Hoeffner and Carmen Miskel, both of Bryn Mawr, were chosen out of more than 4,000 pieces submitted to the Times to be featured in the art collection.

Hoeffner and Miskel's works are two of our 25 chosen.

"In December, the United States surgeon general warned that young people today are facing 'devastating' mental health issues," the Times writes. "That wasn’t news to us. Via our comments section and contests like this one, we hear from young people around the world every day, and have watched as nearly two years of pandemic isolation and disruption have intensified all the other stresses this generation is facing."

Hoeffner, 17, created her own set of "armor" for her piece "My New Armor."

In creating "My New Armor," Hoeffner made a mask and necklace out of aluminum wire and beads.

"My mask became my armor," she said. With it, I felt invincible. And, when I finally went back to in-person school, I marched into the battle of high school with the feeling that I could do anything."

Miskel, 16, submitted a comic illustrating her feeling of isolation.

"I have struggled with isolation long before 2020," she said. "I am somewhat of an introvert, so making plans to meet my friends is really hard for me. Then, once they’re made, it is so tempting to flake, especially when the plans are casual and therefore easily-flakeable."

She created her piece when she began returning to school.

"I wanted to personify loneliness as a companion," she said. "I didn’t make him look evil or looming, since being alone is safe and almost comforting. But when I let myself be alone for too long, I get in my head."

See Hoeffner and Miskel's pieces in the New York Times here.