San Antonio Students Honored for Diversity Artwork at AFP ICON

Three students from the San Antonio SAY Sí program were honored at AFP ICON for their artwork expressing what diversity and philanthropy means to them.

AFP’s Diversity Art Showcase, a tradition of ICON for many years, features artwork by AFP members, local professional artists and young people from the community. The ALFORD Group has been a sponsor of the Diversity Art Showcase, as well as ICON’s Diversity Workshop, for the last 20 years, and AFP thanks them for their continued support. The ALFORD Group is now supporting the IDEA Impact/ALFORD Group Mentoring and Leadership Development Program as a way to help building the pipeline of diverse talent for the fundraising profession.

This year, AFP worked with the SAY Sí youth program. SAY Sí ignites the creative power of young people as forces of positive change, and is committed to creating a premier, inclusive, dynamic, and nurturing educational environment for San Antonio’s youth.

The three youth honorees for this year were:

1st place: Omar Paz for “Fountain of Youth”

It’s inspiring for our youth to see many genuine philanthropists donating their time and energy to others who are in need of it. I decided to draw one of my youngest cousins, Alina, with part of an iris flower. Alina is supposed to represent today’s youth while the flower represents hope. The water drops above her are going in a back & forth motion to symbolize the way generosity works. Just like the butterfly effect, even the smallest deeds can help inspire our youth to devote their time & kindness to others in need.

2nd place: Maya Diaz for “Color of SA”

Murals and public art flowing through San Antonio engulf my dreams as a young artist. With threats to my community piling up, the art world needs people who will endorse it and support it through everything. These people and their generosity are defined as philanthropists. As the pillars to many starving artists’ success, they are also great contributors to the ‘image’ of a city. Philanthropists and artists must work hand-in-hand to create a community reflective of its population.

Though working together, they can be seen through the flowing liquid represented through “Color of SA”. The blue specimen represents the art community, while green symbolizes philanthropists. The imaginary middle-man pours the love and passion of these two groups and spreads it throughout not only downtown San Antonio for tourists, but also into the streets and neighborhoods that make up the majority of the city.

3rd place: Joshua Cortez for “Driftwood”

Countless times, people are put into positions that hard to get out of. Some would say we're lost at sea, waiting for a piece of driftwood to float on by and take rest. In the eyes of many people, philanthropy acts upon the needs of the people. And by sailing the oceans, philanthropy help those in need.