The Finalists
Click images to view larger and read the artist's statement. Images have been given short titles for the purposes of voting and artist name or signature has been covered or removed for voting.
Lungs
| Battling CF is not only about survival but about thriving into imagination of what breathing and life could look like. I create imaged renditions of biological imagery that transform our challenging situation into an explosion of hope and life. I research visually through art and imagination what healing looks and feels like. |
Eyes
When I think of how I see and embrace CF, I think of the words in the right eye. Conquer, trust, change, adapt, learn, exercise, the list is infinite. We have setbacks, we have wins. We need to stay motivated to keep fighting, even when we’re exhausted. But there is a balance. The one thing that keeps us integrated with other people, the international language we all speak and the focus of the left eye: Love. We fight because we love ourselves and because we are loved. No matter what language you speak, love is the same. Medium: Charcoal/marker
Mountain
Living with CF is like climbing a mountain. It can be a wonderful challenge but there are times it is hard. We each do it in our own ways. Sometimes we are independent. Other times we welcome support. Sometimes we feel strong, other times we need a break. My piece represents out individual journeys and shows that we support one another while needing to keep distance.
Cookies
CF has allowed me to look at life differently. I have been able to channel my artistic ability by baking and designing custom sugar cookies in the shape of lungs to raise awareness of what it is like to be an adult living with CF. It allows people to see and interact with this invisible disease and how it can affect people in various ways. Through baking the cookies, posting on my social media, and sharing them with the community it has given me an outlet to express myself creatively. I have been able to spread awareness about CF and compare our lungs to flowers breathing and how they continue to change.
Medal
I used to feel like I needed to hide my battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Without a cure, and with endless days of struggling, it was easy to feel like I was failing every day. However, I found a way, like all CF patients do, to make it a part of my story and change the lives of others. I am currently in college on the path to becoming a child life specialist, and due to the experiences I had with my own growing up in the hospital, I will be able to fully empathize with my patients on a deep and personal level. This piece I made is not only about beating Cystic Fibrosis but winning. For people with CF, winning is a right of passage. Although it looks different for everyone, people with CF win because we get to choose how to make our greatest challenges the best stories. And why first place? Because we earned it by waking up every day and choosing to look at our precious lives as a gift, not a curse. We will always win, and that's nothing to be ashamed about.
Rose
How do I CF? The artwork I've submitted reflects that I approach CF daily with patience, family support, and faith. Our bodies are constantly changing, and sometimes no two days are alike, which can be frustrating at times, so being able to adapt to changes and the unexpected is essential. I have created my artwork with organic repeating lines to symbolize the balance between being flexible and consistent. There's a book incorporated in the art piece reflecting continued learning of new CF information and discoveries, which I think is important. And finally, the overall shape of my artwork is a rose, a well-known symbol that we recognize in our CF community.