The Atlanta International Education Group (AIEG) successfully hosted its first annual art competition on November 18, 2023.

About 100 Students from various high schools and colleges gathered at Bunten Road Park in Duluth to showcase their hard work and talent in two categories: traditional art and photography. It was an honor to see the pieces submitted by creative and skilled students living around metro Atlanta. This event provided students with an opportunity to be involved in the local art community and gain confidence in showcasing their personal work.

There was a total of 43 entries. The winners for each category are as follows:

TRADITIONAL

1. Suffocating by Grace Wang, Fulton Science Academy, 11th Grade

2. Endlessness by Albert Zhang, Innovation Academy, 11th Grade

3. Forget Me Not by Beverly Zheng, Johns Creek High School, 12th Grade

PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Afternoon by Puyi Rao, University of College London

Left to right: Dr. Jin Jin, Albert Zhang, Grace Wang, Beverly Zheng, Sarah Myers

Students participated from the following schools:

· Lambert High School (Forsyth)

· Forsyth Central High School (Forsyth)

· Johns Creek High School (Fulton)

· Northview High School (Fulton)

· Chamblee High School (Dekalb)

· Innovation Academy (Fulton)

· Fulton Science Academy (Fulton)

· Gwinnett School of Science, Mathematics, and Technology (Gwinnett)

· Chattahoochee High School (Fulton)

· Greater Atlanta Christian School

· North Gwinnett High School (Gwinnett)

· The Westminster Schools (Fulton)

· Tallulah Falls School (Habersham)

Students shared what inspires them to be artists.  

“I've been learning art since third grade. I explored sketch, colored pencils, markers, painting, and 3-D art. However, recently I began to explore the field of photography. I loved how cameras could catch every detail of the world around us, and loved how I began to view the world at different angles and point of views. Just walking around and noticing the details of even a piece of leaf inspired me to be creative in exploring how beautiful scenes could be expressed in one picture.” Lingyue Wu, 12^th grade

“I’ve loved art and drawing since I was little, and I started taking classes in high school with Visual Arts 1. Since then I’ve taken every Visual Arts class available and am currently in AP Studio Art: Drawing. I like to use art as a way to process emotion and explore ideas, but I also like to doodle as a way to relax and unwind. I absolutely love drawing and painting, and lately I’ve been really interested in embroidery. I feel that art allows me to better understand myself, and I think creativity keeps life interesting and can bring magic to the mundane.” Katherine Sovich, 12^th grade

“I have been doing art for about 12 years. I’ve explored various materials and techniques, from pastel to oil paint. My environment primarily inspires me to be creative, as I have grown up with family members and mentors who have pushed the value of individualism and creativity in various aspects my life. I love the process of experimentation and always creating something new.” Peirong Gao, 12^th Grade

 Left to right: Dr. Jin Jin, Peirong Gao

Special thanks to our judges, dedicating their time and talent from various Georgia universities:  Hunter Jonakin (Oglethorpe University), Alan Xie (Clayton State University), and Caite Canfield (Georgia Tech).

AIEG would also like to give special thanks to our three student volunteer judges from Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial Design: Megan Tran, Kevin Park, and Daniel Lee.

Left to right: Sarah Myers (AIEG), Dr. Jin Jin (AIEG), Caite Canfield (Georgia Tech), Alan Xie (Clayton State), Daniel Lee (Georgia Tech), Megan Tran (Georgia Tech), Kevin Park (Georgia Tech), Hunter Jonakin (Oglethorpe)

AIEG also thanks its interns, Mimi Zhang (Lambert High School) and Wisdom Cai (UGA graduate) for their hard work and dedication. Along with them, special thanks to Amy Mao (Johns Creek High School ), Peirong Gao (Chamblee High School), Nora Anason (Chamblee High School), Allie Knudsen (Chamblee High School), Vanessa Lopez (Chamblee High School), Clara Tran (Chamblee High School), Ava Thomas (Chamblee High School), Tashmia Islam (Chamblee High School), Tasnim Shopon (Chamblee High School), Amy Mao (Northview High School), Kevin Zhang (Northview High School), Steve Wang (UNG), Ken Wu (UNG), Yvonne Gu (UNG), Frank Ren (GSU),  Jeff Gong (GSU) and more.

Thank you to our many volunteers!

Of course, a huge thank you to Dr. Jin Jin, the CEO of AIEG, for creating this event and bringing it into fruition. None of this would be possible without her visionary leadership and dedication to encouraging students to reach their highest potential.  

Dr. Jin Jin (AIEG)

AIEG is also grateful to Good Harvest restaurant in Doraville for being a bronze tier sponsor of the 2023 art competition.

AIEG plans to host another art competition next year, along with events in other categories such as music, gaming, and sports. Updates on what is happening at AIEG can be found on its social media pages.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiegatlanta

Instagram: @aieg_ga

Left to right: Sarah Myers (AIEG), Hunter Jonakin (Oglethorpe), Dr. Jin Jin (AIEG), Albert Zhang (Innovation Academy), Grace Wang (Fulton Science Academy), Beverly Zheng (Johns Creek High School), Caite Canfield (Georgia Tech), Kevin Park (Georgia Tech), Daniel Lee (Georgia Tech), Megan Tran (Georgia Tech)