Law Day Art Event at the Riverside County Law Library 

Fri, 16/05/2025 - 05:00

On May 1^st, 2025, the Victor Miceli Law Library hosted a fun event aimed at creative young minds to celebrate Law Day. The law library staff organized an art contest, inviting high school students to participate and showcase their talent for a chance to win a prize. Over twenty people showed up in support of this day. 

The art contest was inspired by this year’s Law Day theme: The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One. Participants were asked to submit an original visual artwork that most closely aligned with their interpretation of the theme. Each artwork was studied carefully by a panel of judges who worked together to give each work a final score. The rubric went over creativity/originality, adherence to the theme, technical skill, and the overall visual and emotional impact that the piece conveys to the audience. All participants demonstrated a unique approach to the theme, clearly showing originality and creativity. So, let’s get into the winners! 

Methsandi De Alwis

A 9th grader from Riverside, Methsandi received an honorable mention and a $100 prize for her hard work. De Alwis’ medium was oil on canvas. The piece consists of four hands meeting in the middle, symbolizing unity, on top of the Constitution which is layered on top of the US flag. In front of the hands is written, “Unite to make America great.” De Alwis named her piece “Unity for a better country through the Constitution’s Promise,” inspired by her own personal experiences of racism. This bright student says that by uniting, regardless of skin color, America can be stronger.

The piece consists of four hands meeting in the middle, symbolizing unity, on top of the Constitution which is layered on top of the US flag. In front of the hands is written, “Unite to make America great.” De Alwis named her piece “Unity for a better country through the Constitution’s Promise,”

Chloe Dreier

A 9^th grader from Riverside, Chloe won third place and a $200 prize for her piece called, “Collective Promises.” Dreier used paint, watercolor, and alcohol markers on canvas as her medium. The top of Dreier’s artwork says, “Law Day 2025”. On the top left of the piece, there are people gathered around two large open doors where the inside says, “together.” To the right of this is the US flag in the shape of a heart with a brown cross in the middle reading, “religion.” Below the heart is a blue police hat with a plaque that says “safety.” To the left of the hat and below the doors, there is a brown structure of columns with the words “Justice” on the front. At the forefront, there are chains snapping and breaking from the top, right, and left of the canvas. Dreier states that her artwork is a representation of how she interprets the constitution’s promise: “...the ability to practice my faith, to have safety and security in a land of justice, together as one united nation."

The top of Dreier’s artwork says, “Law Day 2025”. On the top left of the piece, there are people gathered around two large open doors where the inside says, “together.” To the right of this is the US flag in the shape of a heart with a brown cross in the middle reading, “religion.” Below the heart is a blue police hat with a plaque that says “safety.” To the left of the hat and below the doors, there is a brown structure of columns with the words “Justice” on the front. At the forefront, there are chains sn

Yzabella Bedolla

In second place, 9^th grader Yzabella from Temecula submitted a unique acrylic piece called “United (States of America).” She won a $300 prize for her hard work. This piece contains various people in different age groups: a woman holding a child’s hand, a teenager reading the constitution with two back pockets of the Mexican and American flag, and infants sitting on the ground. Posters scattered in the background say things such as, “Speak out,” “Remember our roots,” “We are the future,” “US as a nation,” “Liberty & Justice 4 ALL,” and “America the GREAT.” Bedolla said her inspiration for her work was the first few words of the constitution, which are “We the people.” Bedolla showed great talent and passion for her artwork.

a woman holding a child’s hand, a teenager reading the constitution with two back pockets of the Mexican and American flag, and infants sitting on the ground. Posters scattered in the background say things such as, “Speak out,” “Remember our roots,” “We are the future,” “US as a nation,” “Liberty & Justice 4 ALL,” and “America the GREAT.”

Johanna Marx

This year’s winner of the Law Day art contest was 11^th grader Johanna from Temecula. Inspired by the Latin phrase “E pluribus unum” on the dollar bill, meaning “out of many one”. Marx’s acrylic piece is painted in different shades of blue with a large bald eagle made up of faces from different backgrounds. Marx named her piece “Feathers of a Nation” to highlight that “...the unique and varied people of our nation come together to form the United States of America.” Each person symbolizes a distinct feather, making up the eagle that represents America. Marx’s impressive and hard work granted her a $500 prize.