91��Ʒ

Marta Tereziya �26 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice), a senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91��Ʒ), was recognized with a for her oil painting �.� The award celebrates young artists who want to solve the climate crisis.

�Receiving this award has made me believe so much more in myself as an artist, knowing that I can achieve a lot in the art field and there are opportunities waiting for you!� says Tereziya. �This also made me feel heard in my worries about Mother Earth.�

Marta Tereziya. Photo by Mason Burton.

Tereziya�s artistic practice often focuses on the earth and environment. During the summer of 2024, she also dedicated time to focus on her professional side. �In my artwork I speak a lot about Mother Earth and how we must protect our home, so I searched up opportunities that relate to these topics,� she explains.

According to their website, the juried Tidal Shift award �aims to leverage the power of socially-aware artworks, awarding and platforming teenagers and young adults who are focused on solutions for climate change.� Tereziya is one of three artists recognized in the Division 2 category. She was awarded a $5,000 prize for her work, which she plans to invest in art supplies for her upcoming thesis project and technology like a camera.

In addition to finding solutions to the climate crisis, �the Tidal Shift award also focuses on motivating, influencing others and bringing awareness to this issue,� explains Tereziya. �I believe my art, specifically the painting that I submitted, is able to put people into perspective of growing children, humanity as a whole but also all living beings of this earth! It is able to create a sense of urgency when it comes to the climate crisis, understanding that the fire is burning and we are the ones who caused it, therefore we can stop it.�

�My thoughts about our home, Planet Earth, have only evolved from last year and I continue to create artwork that allows others to empathize with the environment around them,� Tereziya continues. �To understand that we are breathing, eating and walking on this planet and without it�this life would not exist.�

Tereziya�s understanding of the climate crisis evolved alongside her artistic practice. She first conceptualized a version of her award-winning work in high school and refined it in Professor Peter Barrickman�s indirect oil painting class. �Comparing the painting I painted when I was 15 and the one I painted in Peter’s class�the difference is shocking. Peter taught me so many skills, and the process of indirect oil painting completely changed the way I work with paint now,� she says.

�I am beyond grateful to have received this award, and I wholeheartedly believe it would not happen if it wasn’t for the knowledge I received from 91��Ʒ and the wonderful faculty,� Tereziya finishes.

Keep up with Tereziya on , learn more about the and explore 91��Ʒ�s Fine Art + New Studio Practice major!