Sparta Senior Scores Spot in Student Art Show

Written by: Kanita Tariq

Morris Museum’s ‘Fresh Perspectives’ is a New Jersey-student art exhibition. Sparta senior Mikayla Bivona’s sketch, ‘Restless Anxiety,’ won a spot at this year’s show.

For Mikayla, this is an incredible honor. “Art has influenced my life because it is something that I’ve done all four years in high school. I even spend all my lunches working on artwork! I’m taking AP Studio Art this year, which is how I was lucky enough to have one of my pieces selected in the show. Projects are due every Monday, so it takes up a lot of my weekends too!”

Mikayla’s AP Art concentration is a focus on mental illness. “I look into how [mental illness] affects people. I’ve found that mental illnesses have been stigmatized. A lot of that has to do with Hollywood and the media. I’m looking to shatter those stigmas. I am also taking AP Psychology and I want to study psychology in college. Picking a focus was like pairing together two of my interests.”

Take one look at Mikayla’s piece-- ‘Restless Anxiety.’ You can feel the anxiety radiating off of the paper. The title fits perfectly. “Mrs. Mase and I worked together by just rattling off names. At one point, she just looks at me and goes: ‘Restless Anxiety.’ We both agreed instantly-- it made complete sense.”

The choice of medium was also very purposeful. “I used a technique called ‘scribbling’-- quite a literal term for it, actually. I wanted to mirror the feeling with the medium; the scribbles reflect the desperate feeling of trying to stay calm when experiencing complete anxiety.”

With the school year very quickly winding down, what’s next for this happy-go-lucky Sparta senior? “I am going to be attending Ramapo College in the fall of 2019. For a while, I wanted to be an art therapist. For now, I will be studying psychology with a minor in photography.”

Sparta High is filled with aspiring underclassmen-- perhaps a few interested in AP Art or continuing with art in college. Mikayla’s advice? “Always listen to your teachers! They know what’s best and when to quit on pieces. It’s okay to quit on some, but it’s also important to push through the ones that could potentially be some of your best!”

Check out Mikayla’s incredible artwork, ‘Restless Anxiety’:

Follow us- 
Instagram: @shs_oracle
Twitter: @SHS_Oracle