Visual Arts

Across Viewpoint, students, faculty, and staff are picking up paintbrushes and adding their own piece to a larger work of art.

This year’s All School Art Project is bringing the community together to create a large-scale collaborative installation centered on the idea that a community is made up of many individual voices, experiences, and perspectives.

During art classes, advisories, and department and team sessions, participants are using watercolor to create designs on paper plates that will ultimately be incorporated into the finished installation.

“Each participant will contribute a small piece of the larger artwork, and when those individual contributions come together, they will create something that no one person could have made alone,” said Visual Arts Department Chair Nell Yates.

The concept was inspired in large part by the Visual Arts team’s work with artist Hiep Nguyen. Through artist visits and a recent workshop in Chicago, members of the team had the opportunity to experience Nguyen’s approach to collaborative art-making firsthand.

That experience helped shape the direction of this year’s project.

“We wanted this year’s project to create an opportunity for our community to make art together without worrying about artistic ability, comparison, or having to create a ‘perfect’ finished product,” Yates said. “Instead, the focus is on participation, connection, and the collective experience of making something together.”

As individual plates accumulate, their different colors, patterns, and designs will eventually be assembled into a single installation.

For Yates, the project also builds on the sense of community created through The Art of the Poppy, Viewpoint’s first All School Art Project in 2024.

“I hope that participants experience how meaningful it can be to contribute to something larger than themselves,” Yates said. “I also hope they recognize that you do not have to consider yourself an ‘artist’ to make something meaningful. There is value in simply showing up, contributing, and trusting that your piece has a place within the larger whole of the community.”

The finished installation will reflect that same idea, bringing together different contributions, perspectives, and experiences from across the Viewpoint community.

Once complete, the All School Art Project will be installed in the Carlson Family Theater lobby, with an unveiling anticipated shortly after Thanksgiving break.

Congratulations to our talented Viewpoint artists and writers, who received top honors in the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a national competition recognizing outstanding student creativity in visual arts and writing. This year, Viewpoint students earned a total of 62 regional awards across photography, ceramics, sculpture, drawing and painting, and writing.

In the Scholastic Writing Awards, nine Upper School and two Middle School students were recognized, earning multiple Gold Keys, Silver Keys, and Honorable Mentions across categories including poetry, short story, flash fiction, and screenwriting.

In the visual arts, Viewpoint students earned a total of 43 regional awards. Notably, freshman Madison Kim ’29 received an impressive 10 awards across multiple disciplines, including several Gold Keys in drawing and painting.

Across both writing and visual arts, Gold Key recipients will advance to the national level for final judging, with results announced on March 25. National Medalists will be honored at a special ceremony in New York City in June.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our students honored in the Scholastic Art Awards across such a wide range of classes,” said Nell Yates, Visual Arts Department Chair. “It really reflects the energy, curiosity, and creativity that’s happening throughout our programs.”

Established in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s most prestigious recognition program for student artists and writers in Grades 7-12. Alumni include renowned artists like Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, and John Baldessari, as well as acclaimed writers, filmmakers, and actors such as Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Ken Burns, and Lena Dunham. 

Each year, the competition grants more than $1 million in scholarships and prizes to young creatives.

Congratulations to this year’s Viewpoint Scholastic Art & Writing Award winners!

Gold Key Winners

Taiyang Dragon Chang ’30 – Poetry
Yanxi Nicky Li ’28 – Poetry
Daphne Huffman ’26 – Poetry; Screenplays & Scripts
Tanner Tyminski ’26 – Photography
Anna Lee ’26 – Photography
Shane Anderson ’27 – Photography
Nofar Tsvi ’26 – Photography
Ryder Kabakoff ’27 – Photography
Xinji Ding ’27 – Drawing and Painting
Madison Kim ’29 – Drawing and Painting (multiple works)

Silver Key Winners

Ella Mizrahi ’30 – Poetry
Lara AlSaadi ’29 – Poetry
Phoebe Donlon ’28 – Poetry
Kyle Martin ’27 – Short Story
Emjay Peck ’26 – Photography
Collen Altmann ’26 – Photography
Anna Lee ’26 – Photography
Ella Haim ’27 – Ceramics
Madison Kim ’29 – Ceramics
Allison Kim ’26 – Drawing and Painting
Riley Brown ’26 – Poetry, Short Story, Plays & Scripts

Honorable Mention Winners

Alex Darway ’29 – Poetry (2x)
Phoebe Donlon ’28 – Poetry
Ella Haim ’27 – Short Story
Luna Kuhn ’26 – Flash Fiction
Daphne Huffman ’26 – Poetry and Short Story
Hudson Furgatch ’26 – Photography (2x)
Collen Altmann ’26 – Photography (2x)
Casey Bernstein ’26 – Photography
Chace Garner ’26 – Photography
Sebastian Safahi ’26 – Photography
Mishka Rathi ’26 – Photography (2x)
Evelyn Wright ’26 – Photography (3x)
Sebastian Yanez ’26 – Photography (3x)
Ryder Kabakoff ’27 – Photography
Lucas Argano-Rush ’27 – Ceramics
Sadie Kieffer ’26 – Sculpture
Xinji Ding ’27 – Drawing and Painting
Leah Lekht ’26 – Drawing and Painting
Noah Oduwole ’26 – Drawing and Painting
Riley Brown ’26 – Plays & Scripts

The Ceramics Studio is typically filled with students immersed in a wide range of creative projects throughout the school year. On Tuesday, January 27, that creative energy extended beyond the classroom, as faculty, staff, and students gathered for the annual Empty Bowls Open Studio to craft ceramic bowls in support of a meaningful cause.

“Empty Bowls is a worldwide community event that different art studios and organizations host,” said Nell Yates, ceramics teacher and visual arts department chair. “The whole mission is using local art to support food banks and to support this idea of outreach for hunger and for people who are food insecure.”

Empty Bowls is a global grassroots movement of artists addressing hunger, with events hosted by schools, potters’ guilds, and studios around the world. Yates brought the initiative to Viewpoint eight years ago, weaving it into the ceramics curriculum as a service-learning project. Each ceramics student creates at least one bowl, and often several, as part of their coursework, while also reflecting on what it means to use art as a form of service.

“It’s not just about their ability to make a bowl,” Yates said. “They do a reflection and think about what it means to give art in a different way. To have art benefit people they haven’t even met and to understand this idea of art for service is a whole new concept for them.”

In addition to ceramics students, the school’s CORE (Community OutReach for Everyone) program plays a key role in bringing the event to life. CORE students earn service hours by helping sell tickets, scoop ice cream, and support event logistics, while also gaining exposure to service in a creative context.

“Service can look all different ways,” Yates said. “Making art isn’t necessarily something students would link to being an act of service, so it’s powerful for them to see that connection.”

Sadie Kieffer ’26, a board leader of CORE, said the Open Studio highlights how widely the event brings people together.

“I think this aspect of the open studio is so wonderful to see, everybody from the community coming together,” Kieffer said. “Alumni, parents, faculty, usually some admin will come. And also people who aren’t necessarily super involved in the arts get a chance to do something fun for an afternoon. And it’s for a good cause.”

The Empty Bowls project culminates in a campus-wide ice cream social and fundraiser, scheduled for March 17. Tickets will be sold in the two weeks leading up to the event, with all proceeds benefiting West Valley Food Pantry. 

For those who were unable to attend the Open Studio on January 27, Yates encourages community members to reach out.

“It’s all I want in the world for people to come and feel like they can try it,” she said. “Especially if they come with a student who does ceramics, it’s so meaningful to have that role reversal and let students teach something they care about.”

On Tuesday, November 12, Viewpoint School unveiled “The Art of the Poppy,” its first all-school art installation, created to honor veterans and commemorate Veterans Day. Faculty, students, and honored guests gathered around the vibrant field of poppies in a moving display of unity and gratitude for the sacrifices of those who served.

The event took place at the Sky Trail entrance, bridging Viewpoint’s Middle and Upper School campuses, where more than 1,000 hand-crafted ceramic poppies are on display. Created by students, faculty, and staff from every grade level, each poppy represents a unique tribute to a veteran, collectively forming a lasting symbol of remembrance throughout our school.

“I am so proud of ‘The Art of the Poppy’ and the way it has united our community,” said Nell Yates, Visual Arts Department Chair. “This installation represents the creative talents of our students and staff, each honoring a special veteran in their lives. It’s a powerful way for us to come together and pay tribute to those who have protected our freedoms.”

Head of School Mark McKee opened the ceremony, expressing pride in the community’s dedication to honoring veterans. Following his opening remarks, Middle School student Eden Flachs ’29 introduced the Upper School Concert Choir, inviting the audience to stand as the choir performed a moving rendition of the National Anthem. Afterward, Brendan Rubinstein ’29 led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

“As we honor our veterans, we reflect on the values they embody: service, integrity, and community, values we strive to instill in our students,” said Mark McKee, Head of School. “Veterans Day reminds us of the sacrifices made to protect our freedoms, inspiring us to nurture future leaders committed to making a positive impact. It is my hope that ‘The Art of the Poppy’ will serve as a lasting symbol of our gratitude for generations to come.”

Introduced by Lower School student Alaya Purnomo ’32, City of Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub took the stage, shortly after to present a proclamation, recognizing Viewpoint’s meaningful tribute. The event drew esteemed guests, including City Councilmen David Shapiro and Ed Albrecht, and Kate Vega, District Representative for California Congresswoman Julia Brownley.

Upper School student and Eagle Scout candidate William Chapin read the poem “In Flanders Fields,” and Viewpoint recognized employee veterans Kathy Carle, Connor Ferreira, Laurie Golnick, Dean Kalogris, David Kiser, and Clemente Nava, who came forward to plant the final poppies in the field. Nell Yates then performed the ribbon cutting, officially opening “The Art of the Poppy” installation, which will serve as a lasting tribute to honor veterans for years to come.

For more on "The Art of the Poppy," read the Daily News article here and watch the ABC7 Los Angeles news clip below.