The theme of our opening issue of the Plaid Press for the 2018-19 school year is “the future is now.” We are excited by the opportunities offered through the school and in our community which give us, as students, lots of hope for the future. We asked senior Daniela Ayala to design a tabloid cover for our first issue that addresses our theme. She created the wonderful painting titled, “Future is Now,” which we are very happy to showcase on the Plaid Press and on our webpage. See below for the image and her artist statement.
Artist Statement: Future is Now
My first idea, as funny as it sounds, is “Future is Female.” No one in my family, especially the women, have really created a future for themselves. Most of my family are Afro-Latinas, which is something I’ve always seen as beautiful. However, it feels as if many of my female family members felt they couldn’t or wouldn’t grow into something more. So in this piece, I use the flowers in her hair to represent how I wish for growth–and that Future they hold onto is now. Growth is possible and can create something even more beautiful at hand. I don’t want this to focus on how women are lesser because I hope to teach everyone that they are capable. Despite anyone’s race, gender, or sexuality, the future definitely is now, and we have a power to change. So many of my family members have had so many passions, but in the end have dropped them. But what better time than now to express yourself fully?
The Plaid Press 