The 2017 Teen Issue

Thanks for grabbing a copy of RN&R’s annual Teen Issue. It’s an edition we look forward to every year, and not just because we don’t have to write it.

The Teen Issue gives us, and you, the chance to get our eyes on the work of talented young artists. This year, we received dozens of art submissions from local high school students—so many, in fact, that it was a difficult task deciding which ones to print.

The art on this week’s cover is from Maleah Milner, a senior at McQueen High School who says her autobiographical photos, which feature Photoshopped cartoon elements, are inspired by the quiet, introspective times experienced by teens on the cusp of adulthood.

One thing I really appreciated about this year’s submissions was the variety of media the artists employed, from chalk pastels to digital painting and sculpture. I was particularly keen on Reed High School senior Topanga Ramirez’s stoneware clay statue. The piece, called “Knowledge,” is featured at bottom right.

McQueen senior Alice Samberg and North Star Online School seniors Rafael Schultz and Alex Toller are student journalists who contributed to the issue. You’ll find their bylines next to the stories they wrote about their schools’ featured artists.

I hope you enjoy this year’s Teen Issue as much as I did, because the work these young artists are turning out is more than just cool—it’s a testament to the importance of arts education and a reminder of the responsibility of adults to preserve it.

Happy Reading!

Jeri Chadwell-Singley

RN&R Special Projects Editor