Local Students Display Awesome Skills in MOPA’s Young Art Exhibition

By Lonnie Burstein Hewitt. Photos by Maurice Hewitt.

Merle Kling-Wiese, Grade 11, Francis Parker School.
Crossing, mixed media. “Most of my work consists of watercolor and cut paper, often layered on top of each other. Since I have a great appreciation for history and storytelling,
I often display the stories behind the subject.”

There’s a delightful exhibit on view now at MOPA@SDMA, the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. It’s a happy combination of the San Diego Museum of Art’s Young Art biennial, which originally started almost a century ago, and MOPA’s annual young photographers’ show, which began 18 years ago.

Since MOPA recently merged with SDMA, this 2025 exhibition includes a variety of media and invited students in our area from kindergarten through 12^th grade to submit any kind of artwork that showed their skills to a panel of SDMA curators. The one requirement: it had to reflect this year’s theme, Nurture and Nature.

Over 430 pieces were submitted, and 197 were selected for the current show, which takes over two galleries and a hallway at MOPA. There’s only a small taste of the artists’ work in the photos below, but Young Art will be on view at MOPA through May 18^th, and whatever your age and tastes, you’re sure to enjoy seeing it in person.

Best to start in the gallery on your left as you enter the museum, then ask at the front desk for directions to the rest. Take your time going through the exhibit, choose your own  favorites, and maybe let the front-desk folks know what you liked.

Katherine Quach, Grade 2, Lemon Grove Academy Elementary.
Colorful Koi Fish, tempera. “I saw koi fish at UTC Mall and loved their colors. I also love nature because it has colorful things like fish and butterflies.”

Alicia Gomez, Grade 5, Lemon Grove Academy Elementary.
Forest Fun, collage. “My artwork is a notan, using light and dark shapes for balance. The thin lines are trees, triangles are leaves, and squares are like dominos, adding fun. Nature inspires me to feel calm and creative.”

Madelene Ontiveros, Grade 11, Escondido Charter High School.
The Pond Between Worlds, watercolor. “We should pause to look at nature and allow nature to look back at us.”

Ezra Cho, Grade 7, Meadowbrook Middle School.
Blissful Waves, graphite.

Sophia Yang, Grade 1, Canyon View Elementary School.
The House I Designed, acrylic.

Misha Kazi, Grade 9, Francis Parker School.
The Memories of a Tree, mixed media.

Amelia Rubio, Grade 7, Del Mar Pines Elementary School.
Helix, ink. “The double helix and the scenes from nature represent my hope that harmony can exist between science and nature as long as the sun sets and rises.”

Jadalynn Fernando, Grade 12, Mira Mesa High School. Multiplicity, photograph.

Ana Bárbara Gastelum Páez, Grade 7, Carmel Valley Middle School. The Last Fawns, pencil.

Young Art: Nurture and Nature Exhibition at MOPA@SDMA
1649 El Prado, in Balboa Park.
Visiting Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 11a.m.–5:00 p.m.  
Admission: Pay what you wish.

Lonnie Burstein Hewitt is an award-winning author/lyricist/playwright who has been writing about arts and lifestyles in San Diego County for over a dozen years. You can reach her at hew2@sbcglobal.net