New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) invited high school students across Santa Clara County to submit a work of art responding to the theme Before / Between / Beyond. Students were welcome to explore before, between, or beyond as individual ideas or any combination of the three.

Before

We reside in a framework shaped by countless external forces, whether they’re social, cultural, or environmental. Over time, we form patterns of belief and behavior that are passed from person to person. They are shaped by our habits, heritage, memories, surroundings, and historical events. What do they reveal about our society? How have they shaped who we are?

Between

As we move through life, new behaviors and narratives emerge. We choose to let go of some, others we embrace, and a few transform us by giving rise to new ones. When we find ourselves at the threshold of what was and what’s next, we face a choice: to maintain our patterns or to change them. Through self-reflection, we find our path forward; these moments are significant. What does it mean to break a pattern? What compels someone to break or continue a cycle?

Beyond

As we recognize these patterns, how will we use that awareness? Each of us holds the power to shape our own lives and influence our communities. Our awareness becomes meaningful when it leads to action. Our agency lies in the choices we make about who we want to become. What should the future hold?

Ciara Looney, Ann Sobrato High School, Grade 12
Emma Shim, Archbishop Mitty , Grade 11
Yubin Choi, Branham High School, Grade 10
Annie Liang, Branham High School, Grade 10
Zac Vaughn, Cupertino High School, Grade 10
Becky Yang, Cupertino High School, Grade 9
Zena Mc Connon, Evergreen Valley High School, Grade 12
Ben Kreiman, Freestyle Academy, Grade 11
Emma Lee, Harker Upper School, Grade 11
Topaz Lee, Harker Upper School, Grade 12
Ellie Chang, Henry M. Gunn High School, Grade 11
Emerson Chang, Henry M. Gunn High School, Grade 12
Kai Knutson, Henry M. Gunn High School, Grade 10
Priyanka Rodrigues, Henry M. Gunn High School, Grade 12
Amelia Hoffman, Home-School, Grade 11
Grace Zhu, Home-School, Grade 11
Aly Lopez, Independence High School, Grade 11
Kale Suba, Independence High School, Grade 12
Chelsea Tang, Independence High School, Grade 10
Kevin Vo, James Lick High School, Grade 12
Cheng Liu, Leigh High School, Grade 12
Hyunji Park, Leigh High School, Grade 12
Amy Dong, Leland High School, Grade 11
Nishka Gurnani, Leland High School, Grade 12
Annika Hegde, Leland High School, Grade 11
Angelica Liljenstam, Leland High School, Grade 11
Remy Steinert, Leland High School, Grade 12
Sneha Thayaparan, Leland High School, Grade 12
Cindy Wang, Leland High School, Grade 11
Ashley Avidan, Los Altos High School, Grade 11
Tilly Burgart, Los Altos High School, Grade 10
Natalie Cheung, Los Altos High School, Grade 10
Anna Davidson, Los Altos High School, Grade 10
Kennedy Hautop, Los Altos High School, Grade 12
Eli Hill, Los Altos High School, Grade 11
Mihika Kamat, Los Altos High School, Grade 11
Aundy Pekelsma, Los Altos High School, Grade 11
Mia Scott, Los Altos High School, Grade 11
Raghav Sharma, Los Altos High School, Grade 10
Niki Tan, Los Altos High School, Grade 12
Adelaide Davis, Los Gatos High School, Grade 11
Merril Kost, Los Gatos High School, Grade 12
Estelle Paduano, Los Gatos High School, Grade 12
Alex Cotterel, Lynbrook High School, Grade 12
Ashley Hein, Lynbrook High School, Grade 11
Bingchen Hu, Lynbrook High School, Grade 9
Olivia Hu, Lynbrook High School, Grade 12
Mia Liu, Lynbrook High School, Grade 12
Carrie Song, Lynbrook High School, Grade 11
Amy Yuan, Lynbrook High School, Grade 10
Sophia Zhang, Lynbrook High School, Grade 12
Cindy Xu, Milpitas High School, Grade 9
Billy Liu, Monta Vista High School, Grade 12
Kai Liu, Monta Vista High School, Grade 10
Makayla Horton, Mountain View High School, Grade 9
Lucas Nam, Mountain View High School, Grade 10
Emerson Su, Mountain View High School, Grade 11
Angel Nava, New Valley High School, Grade 10
Kara Fan, Notre Dame High School, Grade 12
Prisha Gupta, Notre Dame High School, Grade 9
Keane Wong, Oakwood School, Grade 12
Karen Artola, Palo Alto High School, Grade 12
Angela Fang, Palo Alto High School, Grade 11
Adam Fong, Palo Alto High School, Grade 12
Ava Lin, Palo Alto High School, Grade 11
Sophia Lin, Palo Alto High School, Grade 9
Charlotte Liu, Palo Alto High School, Grade 11
Hudson Press, Palo Alto High School, Grade 11
Hailey Seto, Palo Alto High School, Grade 11
River Wu, Palo Alto High School, Grade 12
Amy Zhao, Palo Alto High School, Grade 12
Ender Kerr, Pioneer High School, Grade 12
Jhostin Rojas, Pioneer High School, Grade 11
Camille Young, Pioneer High School, Grade 10
Amelia Chen, Proof School, Grade 12
Allison Mu, Sacred Heart Preparatory, Grade 11
Kai Chappins, Saint Francis High School, Grade 12
Sonia Ecklund, Saint Francis High School, Grade 12
Vianna Dong, Saratoga High School, Grade 10
Michelle Lew, Saratoga High School, Grade 9
Zela Maysmith, Stratford Preparatory , Grade 10
Audrey Wang, The King's Academy, Grade 11
Iris Zheng, The King's Academy, Grade 11
Tatyana Borovick, Valley Christian High School, Grade 9
Eunice Cho, Valley Christian High School, Grade 10
Mia Kagita, Valley Christian High School, Grade 11
Sonia Lee, Valley Christian High School, Grade 12
Yuna Lee, Valley Christian High School, Grade 10
Annika Schwarte, Valley Christian High School, Grade 11
Eileen Wang, Valley Christian High School, Grade 10
Katelyn Wang, Valley Christian High School, Grade 12
Isabella Yu, Valley Christian High School, Grade 10
Hanxi Zha, Valley Christian High School, Grade 9
Rosalía Bacon-Flores, Waldorf School of the Peninsula, Grade 11
Kaylee Garcia, Westmont High School, Grade 12
Lucia Vilchez, Westmont High School, Grade 12
Valeria Lopez, Willow Glen High School, Grade 12
1st Place Digital Art: Emma Shim
2nd Place Digital Art: Mia Liu
Judges' Recognition Digital Art: Billy Liu
1st Place Drawing: Kaylee Garcia
2nd Place Drawing: Natalie Cheung
Judges' Recognition Drawing: Cindy Wang
1st Place Mixed Media: Amelia Chen
2nd Place Mixed Media: Estelle Paduano
Judges' Recognition Mixed Media: Karen Artola
1st Place Painting: Olivia Hu
2nd Place Painting: Lucas Nam
Judges' Recognition Painting: Kennedy Hautop
1st Place Photography: Ben Kreiman
2nd Place Photography: Anna Davidson
1st Place Printmaking: Carrie Song
2nd Place Printmaking: Isabella Yu
Judges' Recognition Printmaking: Tatyana Borovick
1st Place Sculpture: Emerson Su
2nd Place Sculpture: Eli Hill
1st Place Video/Animation: Cheng Liu
2nd Place Video/Animation: Keane Wong
Judges' Recognition Video/Animation: Merril Kost
Building a Better Future: Kevin Vo
Staff Choice: River Wu
People's Choice: Aundy Pekelsma
Best in Show: Hyunji Park

About ArtNow

ArtNow is an award-winning annual juried Santa Clara County high school art exhibition and educational program, presented by New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU). ArtNow offers opportunities for high school student artists, from Palo Alto to Gilroy, to gain real-world experience by participating in a juried museum exhibition. Each year, a new theme is chosen for the exhibition and students are asked to submit works based on that theme.

Questions? Email artnow@numulosgatos.org

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Pictured, from top to bottom: Annie Liang, Jin Tao (金桃): Golden Peach, Color Pencil, Branham High School, Grade 10, Instructor: Helen Yang. Katelyn Wang, The Seaside Is My Cradle of Memories, Mixed media on canvas: acrylic paint, sand mixed with gel medium, hand-sewn canvas elements, twine, and beads, Valley Christian High School, Grade 12, Instructor: Jill Carlson. Angela Fang, Environmental Shaping, Ceramic, Acrylic, Palo Alto High School, Grade 11, Instructor: Michael da Ponte. Zac Vaughn, Thoughts From Across The Sea, Charcoal, Cupertino High School, Grade 10, Instructor: Gabriel Coke.

Important Dates*
October 2025 Submissions open
January 28, 2026, 11:59 PM Submissions close
February 20, 2026 Exhibiting artists announced
March 7, 8, 14, & 15, 2026 Artwork dropoff
March 27, 2026 Exhibition opens
May 2, 2026 ArtNow Awards Ceremony
July 19, 2026 Last day to see the exhibition
July 23-26, 2026 Artwork pickup