Smithsonian to Display the Powerful Art of an Upstate NY Student

What an honor!

A high school senior from the Capital Region was a national award winner for a powerful painting he created this Fall, and the best part is that it will be on display at the world-famous Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC!

Tears of Miss Justice

Shout out to Berlin High School senior, Daniel Rivera, who recently won a national award for his powerfully popular painting called "Tears of Miss Justice: Mourning a Broken System".

"I created “Tears of Miss Justice: Mourning a Broken System” to portray what I see in our country. She represents the way I see many of us blind to the truth of how our two-party system causes pain and fights amongst citizens of America. Her tears represent the citizens of America. The colors of her tears represent the two different political parties, while the presence of the tears symbolizes the sadness and pain our country faces when the parties fight, argue, and pit the people against each other. -Daniel Rivera - BCSD

According to the Berlin Central School District, Rivera not only won the regional award but also "Best in Show" for the entire country for the art project he started in the Fall at Mrs. Samantha Colbert’s class at Berlin High School.

Trip to DC

According to the school, in September 2023, Daniel and his teacher, Mrs. Colbert will get an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, DC, and will participate in the Democracy Collection’s Art Activations for Democracy event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Daniel's painting will then be a permanent fixture hanging in their collection.