The 2024 Canadian Student Art inspiration Challenge

LEFT: Edward Burtynsky, Row Irrigation, Imperial Valley, Southern California, USA, 2009
Photograph, Courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto © Edward Burtynsky
RIGHT: Edward Su, Discovery, Acrylic on canvas, 45.7 x 60.9 cm

The 2024 Canadian Art Inspiration Student Challenge

Celebrating Canada’s Future Artists

Who are your personal heroes? What is our responsibility to the planet? What is
your earliest memory? How do you connect with your culture? We asked, and
students across Canada answered with remarkable creations inspired by the nation’s
greatest artists. Now in its fourth year, the ACI student challenge received
submissions from young makers in Grades 7 through 12 from coast to coast. They
looked to the work of visionaries like Edward Burtynsky (b.1955), Helen McNicoll
(1879-1915), and Karen Tam (b.1977), engaging with themes of community, courage,
and connection that promise to resonate across generations. The work featured here
is a testament to the remarkable ingenuity of young Canadians—and the invaluable
contributions of visual arts teachers who mentor and cultivate the artistic talent of
tomorrow.

The Art Canada Institute gratefully acknowledges Canadian Geographic as the
media sponsor for this year’s student challenge.

Lana Yousef, Dancing with Death

Digital medium, 16.4 x 15.9 cm

Colorful illustration of two young children sitting on the ground outside a small shop, playing with objects, while a student with a backpack walks past in the background.

Portrait of a woman in a blue uniform and black hat labeled “H.M.C.S.”, seated indoors and looking to the side.

Painting of a small fishing boat on the ocean with a person casting a line, while a large shark leaps up from below the water toward the bait.

Colorful underwater painting of a coral reef with a large orange fish, smaller fish, and sea plants above a school of blue fish.

Intricate paper-cut artwork showing three vertical scenes: a person reading among flowers, abstract figures and shapes, and a skateboarder surrounded by ghost-like faces.

Still life painting of a white marble bust of a girl, pink flowers in a decorative vase, three yellow quinces, and a bowl with goldfish, all set against dark draped fabric.

Painting of a snowy village scene with bundled figures walking past a church-like building, bare trees, and soft pastel buildings in the background.

Surreal portrait painting of a young woman with two purple-toned duplicate faces beside her, their hands framing her chin, with pixel-like squares dissolving across the image.

A red and silver sculpted object resembling a curling stone sits on a collage of torn book pages with scribbles and markings.

Two side-by-side portraits: on the left, a person in traditional Indigenous attire holding a feather fan; on the right, a person in a black dress shown from behind against a neutral background.

A surreal painting of a large paintbrush blending a forest and mountain landscape into a modern city skyline reflected on water.

Painting of a person with pink hair covering their eyes with both hands, wearing multiple rings against a dark background.

A painted scene of a hockey player in full gear sitting on a bench, eating a pink frosted donut, with a table beside him piled with junk food like burgers, fries, cupcakes, and soda.

A soft-toned painting of a sunlit window with potted plants on the sill, overlooking a yard with blooming pink trees and a yellow house, with a piano beside the window.

A detailed black-and-white drawing of an elderly person wearing a knit hat, with deeply wrinkled features and one eye appearing damaged or hollow.

Illustrated portrait of a young woman in a floral dress, standing in a futuristic, industrial corridor with pipes, machinery, and a Canadian flag in the background.

Abstract collage featuring a dark cloaked figure against a colorful background of patterns, splashes, and circular shapes.

Exhibition

About Oscar Cahén

Equally influential as an avant-garde painter and as a commercial illustrator, Oscar Cahén’s (1916–1956) pictures and covers for magazines helped shape Canadians’ ideas about the world around them, including social and political issues.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Oscar Cahén was a painter known for his vibrant and abstract designs and paintings. His mural for the staff lounge and cafeteria at the Imperial Oil executive office in Toronto fascinated me. To make it, Cahén used an abstract style of art, consisting of colourful shapes and strokes in a cohesive and enthusiastic pattern. His mural brought life to the once-grey atmosphere, turning it into a room that popped with beaming colours. I wanted to incorporate these in my digital artwork, to explore the concept of death. The man and the skull in my drawing are looking away from the viewer, surrounded by shapes and bright colours symbolizing life and nature. While they do not evoke decay, these elements, melded together, reinforce the idea of bringing a bright change to a once sombre concept.”

–Lana Yousef (Grade 9, Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, Etobicoke, Ontario)

Modern restaurant interior with wooden tables and chairs, featuring large colorful abstract murals on the wall.

Student Artwork

Lana Yousef, Dancing with Death

Digital medium, 16.4 x 15.9 cm

About Helen McNicoll

One of the nation’s most prolific artists, Helen McNicoll (1879–1915) garnered acclaim for her bright and sunny representations of rural landscapes, child subjects, and modern female figures—works that helped popularize Impressionism in Canada.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Sometimes, the weight of being a teenager or facing the challenges of adulting feels overwhelming. In those moments, I find myself yearning for the carefree days of childhood, when responsibilities were few and worries were light. This artwork is inspired by Helen McNicoll’s tender depictions of childhood. Some of McNicoll’s fabulous art pieces demonstrate the simple goodness of childhood—a time when the world seems full of endless possibility. In honouring McNicoll’s legacy, I wanted to create a scene of my childhood based on my vague memory while also establishing my personal art style to show my longing to go back to that time of innocence and pure joy.”

–Muying Deng (Grade 9, Regina Christian School, Regina, Saskatchewan)

Impressionist painting of two women in white dresses and hats by a sunlit river, surrounded by trees and flowers.

Painting of uniformed women working and socializing in a cafeteria, with one serving pastries in a large hall.

About Molly Lamb Bobak

Molly Lamb Bobak (1920–2014) was the first Canadian woman to serve as an official war artist. Her paintings and drawings are an important statement on women’s involvement in the Second World War.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Molly Lamb Bobak’s paintings monumentalizing moments and scenes from the Second World War inspired me to create this piece. I wanted to express my gratitude and admiration for those who fought during the war by painting one of the Canadian fighters. The title Navy Conviction implies how hard women had to work to have the same opportunities as men in various jobs. I truly admire the history behind Molly Lamb Bobak’s artworks, which have motivated me to paint this piece.”

–Luvena Theodora Rhosa (Grade 9, Milton District High School, Milton, Ontario)

About Alex Colville

Maritimes artist Alex Colville (1920–2013) created representational works that probe the meaning of being human, often imbuing scenes from everyday life with a sense of dramatic tension.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Canadian art has always held a special place in my heart, and as I grow older, I have begun to appreciate the work of artists such as Alex Colville, who managed to capture ordinary moments and transform them into dynamic art compositions that captivate audiences. Alex Colville does so using an incredible attention to detail, exceptional talent, and of course, dramatic tension. Inspired by Colville’s Cyclist and Crow, I wanted to explore this concept and create my own fictional work. In the midst of vast waters, beneath an azure sky devoid of clouds, a lone fisher enjoys his rather dull day. Little does he know that a fearsome creature is heading straight for his boat. With the effect of dramatic tension, viewers hold their breath—waiting for the illusion of peace to shatter.”

–Jade Amberg (Grade 9, Colonel By Secondary School, Ottawa, Ontario)

A person riding a white bicycle along a path beside a grassy wetland, with a black bird flying nearby.

About Jim Oskineegish

Jim Oskineegish is an artist and medicine man from Eabametoong First Nation. Since the early 2000s, Oskineegish has worked in the Woodland style, a method of painting championed by Norval Morrisseau (1931–2007). Oskineegish’s works convey stories and legends, as well as Ojibwe teachings and values.

About the Student's Inspiration

“The painting Changes by Jim Oskineegish is the inspiration behind Something More. Art communicates differently and elicits diverse interpretations from each observer. My personal analysis of this painting was that each fish stems from the same species yet they both dare to be different in unique ways. Oskineegish uses bold and high contrasting colours to emphasize this diversity, while also creating unity throughout the piece. My response to Oskineegish’s work was also influenced by a quote from Former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson: “If you want something you have never had before, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” Through Something More I aim to capture the courage required to deviate from society norms and expectations and how that can reveal an unseen aspect of oneself.”

–Rakhshinda Sahrish Chowdhury (Grade 9, J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate, Ajax, Ontario)

Colorful abstract painting of two stylized fish with bold patterns and bright shapes on a blue and purple background.

Colorful painting of an autumn forest with tall trees, rocks, and red foliage covering the ground.

About Tom Thomson

Though Tom Thomson’s (1877–1917) promising career as an artist was cut short, he has left an indelible mark on Canada’s landscape tradition. His bold and expressive paintings of vistas in Ontario’s Algonquin Park have come to define a visual identity considered to be distinctly Canadian.

About the Student's Inspiration

“When you look at Autumn’s Garland by Tom Thomson, you see the sweeping gestures of the leaves and the layering effect of the landscape; its bright, vibrant, and warm colours. I tried to create those same feelings of imagination, perspective, and construction in a paper cutting executed with an x-acto blade. My work is tinted with the wavering emotions of youth and adolescence: optimism and pessimism—the sense of losing one’s head within a land of dreams while still being connected to one’s roots.”

–Persephone Wangen (Grade 9, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia)

About Mina dela Cruz

Originally from the Philippines, Mina dela Cruz is a Toronto-based realist painter whose still life works showcase skilled draftsmanship and an eye for inventive compositions.

About the Student's Inspiration

“As a contemporary realist painter, I focus on still life and portraiture. In my featured work, my technique is based on the academic or traditional style of painting. I made my own composition using objects with pleasing shapes and colour harmonies. In my still lifes, I try to reveal the soul of my subject matter by mastering the details and nuances of colour and texture, and evoking the scents of the objects represented. I add a touch of creativity and a lot of emotion to create a magical moment with the viewer. I was inspired by the Canadian artist Mina dela Cruz.”

–Victoria Nalbandyan (Grade 9, Victoria Art Studio, Laval, Quebec)

Still life of a weathered metal kettle with a curved handle, a wooden cup, small stacked cups, and a red cloth draped over a wooden table with leaves nearby.

About Clarence Gagnon

Known for his Impressionist depictions of rural Quebec, Clarence Gagnon (1881–1942) was especially skilled at capturing his subject matter in the wintertime, producing still, snowy scenes comprised of contrasting light and shadow and vivid colour.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Clarence Gagnon is a French-Canadian artist known for his landscape paintings of Quebec. His print Going Home from Church reminded me of the Saturday mass I attend every week at the Montreal Chinese Catholic Church. After mass, we would all go to the church community centre, located just a few minutes’ walk away. In the winter, we would walk very fast with our heads bowed to escape the cold. This is the scene that Going Home from Church reminded me of, and that I wanted to represent in my painting. I appreciated the contrasts created by the vibrant colours in Gagnon’s work, and tried to recreate them in my painting.”

–Yuzhi An (Grade 9, Paramount Study, Montreal, Quebec)

Painting of a snowy village scene with people gathered near a horse-drawn sled, bare trees, and a church tower in the background.

The Inspiration

Prudence Heward, The Emigrants, 1928

Oil on canvas, 66 x 66 cm

Private collection

About Prudence Heward

Earning critical acclaim early in her career, Montreal artist Prudence Heward (1896–1947) developed a style and method of painting that reflected her own experiences as a modern woman navigating Canada’s shifting social landscape during the inter-war period.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Malfunctioning is inspired by Prudence Howard’s The Emigrants and aims to critique social norms and trends. When I first saw Heward’s painting, it really spoke to me because it seemed as though the person on the left was guiding the person on the right in a certain direction. I saw it in a way that the person on the right was hesitant to follow. I wanted to express the same idea of not following the status quo. The piece features multiple self-portraits, with monochromatic faces trying to dominate the central figure. The glitch and pixelated effects symbolize the sentiment of unease in not following the norm, causing a glitch in the societal system.”

–Maytal Peres (Grade 9, Herzliah High School, Montreal, Quebec)

About Karen Tam

Through her creative practice, Montreal-based artist Karen Tam (b.1977) explores the identities and material cultures of Chinese diasporic communities in Canada. Her works demonstrate the many ways in which objects travel through time, carrying with them stories that matter.

About the Student's Inspiration

“I chose to make a piece about curling because it is the thing I am most passionate about. I have been curling since I was six years old and never thought I would continue with it, but now at thirteen I play the sport three times a week. I will be the youngest player on the Canadian U18 team in the upcoming year. Karen Tam’s Sporting Life works motivated me to combine my love of art with my passion for curling. The way that Tam combines pieces of her life through sculpture and paint was inspiring to me. I created a 3D curling rock and added elements of books to create texture and meaning in my piece.”

–Kenzie Moore (Grade 7, Devon Middle School, Fredericton, New Brunswick)

Two blue-and-white porcelain vases with intricate dragon designs, placed side by side against a plain background.

About Kent Monkman

The Scream, 2017, was included in Kent Monkman’s (b.1965) landmark exhibition, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, at the Art Museum of the University of Toronto. Dedicated to his paternal grandmother, the exhibition shone a light on Canada’s mistreatment of Indigenous peoples. Reference photo of Ammaakulutché by Chris Douglas.

About the Student's Inspiration

“In Kent Monkman’s The Scream, the horrors of residential schools are emphasized as children are aggressively ripped from their families. As a Métis artist, this inspired me to reflect on the cultural genocide against Indigenous people through my art. Residential schools were government-sponsored schools run by churches in order to assimilate Indigenous children by stripping them of their culture, language, and identity. In my painting on the left titled Ammaakulutché (meaning “reconciliation” in the Crow language), I painted Lakisha Flores (an Indigenous Crow model) wearing her regalia that has been collected and gifted to her. The regalia can be seen as a symbol of the resilience of Indigenous culture and history throughout the horrors of colonialism and a symbol of reclaiming tradition. Said horrors are represented on the right through my painting Ihkulusshíia (meaning “erasure” in the Crow language) of a girl in residential school.”

–Amelia Picard (Grade 11, De La Salle Public High School, Ottawa, Ontario)

Chaotic scene of uniformed officers and clergy forcibly taking children from distressed families outside a rural building.

Aerial view of a canal dividing green farmland on one side and arid desert on the other.

About Edward Burtynsky

Award-winning contemporary photographer Edward Burtynsky (b.1955) is internationally revered for his compelling images that reveal the significant impact human activity has had on the Earth.

About the Student's Inspiration

“People often overlook how fast technology develops. From buildings to artificial intelligence, technology evolves at the expense of nature. My painting is concerned with how artists, or people in general, can change the way we see the world. Images can easily deceive us in thinking that the world is still okay. In my artwork, I illustrate the natural world transforming into the city—something more metal and artificial—by juxtaposing an image of mountain scenery over that of the CN Tower. I was inspired by Edward Burtynsky’s photographs showing the relationships between nature and human-built things. I wanted to express this relationship in my painting and comment on how one can be completely unaware of the world hurting because of our actions.”

–Edward Su (Grade 10, Unionville High School, Markham, Ontario)

About Ozias Leduc

Largely self-taught, Ozias Leduc (1864–1955) was one of Quebec’s most important painters. His Boy with Bread is celebrated for its masterful composition, which was conceived over seven years.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Ozias Leduc’s Boy with Bread inspired me to make Boy with Junk because I wanted to represent the mindset of teenagers today through a boy who is fortunate but doesn’t really care about his situation in life. Leduc’s painting conveys a quiet, dreamlike feeling, depicting a boy leaning over and playing a harmonica while staring at his leftover bread. To contrast the sense of calmness displayed by the boy (who is neither rich nor fortunate), I gave my subject an aggressive, fierce look while he stuffs his face with junk, not having much care as he sits on the harmonica. He is intensely staring at the junk foods, which is completely opposite to the overall feeling from the boy in Ozias Leduc’s painting.”

–Haeum Park (Grade 10, Ernest Manning High School, Calgary, Alberta)

A young boy wearing a hat and red plaid shirt sits at a wooden table, eating a piece of bread with a bowl and spoon in front of him.

About Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald

Manitoba artist Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald (1890–1956) was characterized by art critics as “the man who looks out of the window,” producing many interior/exterior views that illustrate his skilled methods of observation and convey a deep sense of familiarity and place.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Spring Break is inspired by L. L. FitzGerald’s From an Upstairs Window, Winter, which displays how academic ambitions affect how often we spend time outside, moving and enjoying ourselves as we did when we were younger children. I interpreted the original piece as a statement about overexerting oneself in one’s studies. Momentarily forgetting the present, we find ourselves taking inspiration from a common view and turning it into a feeling of serenity and nostalgia. Feelings of warmth are evoked in a winterscape and aspects of study are left at the edges of the piece. In addition, the unique directions of the trees resemble imperfection and playfulness. I wanted to convey how we are spending less time outside through the occupation of technology and academics, which negatively impacts our mental wellbeing. Even the slightest moments of savouring the sights of nature can cleanse the mind and soul.”

–Frankie Wu (Grade 11, Richmond Secondary School, Richmond, British Columbia)

Painting of a quiet winter scene viewed through a window, showing bare trees, snow-covered buildings, and a white pitcher with a pencil on the windowsill.

A woman in a dark red dress sits barefoot on the ground under a tree, looking toward the viewer, with rolling green hills and a winding path in the background.

About Prudence Heward

Prudence Heward (1896–1947) was a central figure in the Montreal art world during the inter-war era. Celebrated for her expressionistic use of colour and her unique sculptural forms, Heward’s portraits of defiant modern women are unparalleled.

Triptych painting showing a person covering their face, a torso with colorful kinesiology tape, and legs with a knee brace against a dark background.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Prudence Heward is a Canadian painter from the 1920s. Her work revolved around painting women in a way that made them powerful, often making eye contact with the viewer. Her work has been a great inspiration to me. I wanted to build upon what she had previously created with experiences of my own as a young disabled woman. I want to express how I have been objectified with these triptych portraits of my body, which illustrate parts of my disability. I want to convey the emotion I experience when talking to someone and I can tell that they do not see a person, just an illness; something to laugh at. By creating this piece of art, I took back emotions that others have pushed onto me by creating something positive to put into the world. I am not my disability; I just happen to be disabled.”

–Janie Wilson (Grade 12, Saugeen District Senior School, Port Elgin, Ontario)

About David Altmejd

The complex sculptures of Montreal-born, Los Angeles-based artist David Altmejd (b.1974) focus on the human form, often blurring the boundaries between representation and abstraction.

About the Student's Inspiration

“The work of Canadian sculptor David Altmejd stimulated my interest in creating disintegrated representations of the human figure. In Thoth, two half heads are combined: one is upside down showing a realistic human head, while the other half is upright and features pointed gemstones representing a distorted face in abstract form. Inspired by abstraction, my conté drawing depicts a figure—an elderly man adorned with a weathered hat—who symbolizes the resilience of those impacted by nuclear tragedies, whose lives are permanently changed by uncontrollable forces. Yet, beneath the facade of stoicism lies a palpable sense of vulnerability and despair, as the harsh realities of radiation-induced harm manifest in the distorted features of the face. The work reflects the devastating impact of historical Canadian nuclear contamination on the human body and serves as a portrait, compelling viewers to confront the profound moral responsibilities entwined within our pursuit of technological advancement.”

–Meilin Yuan (Grade 11, St. John’s School, Vancouver, British Columbia)

Surreal sculpture of a fragmented human bust with a crystalline neck and a detached hand holding a wheat stalk, displayed on a pedestal.

About Prudence Heward

In her portraits featuring solitary or groups of young women, Prudence Heward (1896–1947) often depicted her subject matter with unflinching honesty. Anna was the first work by Heward purchased by the National Gallery of Canada.

About the Student's Inspiration

“Prudence Heward often portrayed her female subjects as objective and “not appealing”, projecting women’s struggles. In her paintings, the background and the figure are always dissonant: the background is simplified, but the figure is detailed and sculptural, creating an uncoordinated feeling. The portrait Anna caught my attention because of the subject’s miserable facial expression. The figure without beautification makes me perceive she is a naturally existing person, not a goddess. The disconnect between Anna and her environment makes me believe she is unsatisfied with the status quo. In response, I played on this sense of dissonance with my self-portrait, placing it against a disorienting cityscape to express the confusing experience of the misalignment between my thoughts and Canadian cultural norms. The painting conveys how overwhelmed I felt after I immigrated to Canada.”

–Lok Yiu Janice Lee (Grade 12, Fort Richmond Collegiate, Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Painting of a seated woman wearing a blue headscarf and red vest, set against bare trees and a muted outdoor background.

Black-and-white photo of a woman at a desk looking at scattered photographs and documents, with a lamp and inkwell nearby.

About General Idea

The art collective General Idea (comprised of AA Bronson, Felix Partz, and Jorge Zontal) rose to prominence in the 1970s with their boundary-pushing performance, photography, and installation works critiquing everything from consumer culture and mass media to social inequality and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

About the Student's Inspiration

“In the midst of another wave of anti-queer hate, Canada’s LGBTQ+ community is stronger than ever. Art is a medium that transcends boundaries of all kinds. Pioneering queer self-expression and spreading AIDS awareness, General Idea changed the art scene in Canada. Their works are an inspiring testament to our brave history—an assurance that we will never lose our unconvential, bold creativity. Marcel Dot remains an icon as Miss General Idea 1971 and is the centerpiece—among other symbols—of my tribute to a more accepting future and a painful past. Our voices will be heard, and we will make the trailblazers who lit our way proud!”

–Theo Newbury (Grade 10, Mount Pearl Senior High School, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland)