Class of COVID: Pandemic pushes student to find new art forms, win national competition

Can you find the beauty in trash?

Ella Rivas, a graduating senior from Saydel High School, turned trash into art that made its way to the U.S. Capitol. Rivas also has been involved with National Honor Society, color guard, dance, 4-H and her church's youth group.

Then, during her sophomore year in an Advanced Placement art class, Rivas asked herself the question about finding beauty in trash. She devoted herself to her art as a type of support during a difficult time, and it turned into some of her strongest work yet.

More: Class of COVID: Iowa's graduating seniors share how pandemic shaped their futures

"I was literally walking around, digging in trash cans, trying to find raw images of trash that I could then alter or turn into some form of art," Rivas said.

Rivas created a piece inspired by Coca-Cola cans, and it won the Congressional Art Competition in 2022. Another mystical piece about Tootsie Roll wrappers will appear at an exhibition at the Belin-Blank Center in Iowa City.

She is part of the first graduating class of students whose entire high school experience was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rivas and other students across the country finished their freshman year at home during quarantine in 2020.

Students came back to a hybrid learning environment, where they attended in person a few days a week. That was tough: Rivas' friends were in a different group that came in on different days.

"I went one time four months without seeing my friends face-to-face, and that was so hard," she said.

More: As enrollment declines, Saydel school district makes budget cuts that include staff

Now, Rivas strives to find the beauty in everyday things that other people might not notice.

"I feel like art is an escape when you're in the zone and you're doing what you really love. That's all you're focusing on, and you get lost in this feeling of just …" Rivas paused. "There's no words that come to mind. The music fades away, and the background noise is gone, and it's just you and your art. It's such a peaceful moment."

The prospect of graduation is both sad and exciting for Rivas as students go their separate ways. Rivas has wanted to be an artist for most of her life and is planning to go to the Rhode Island School of Design to become a graphic designer.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Pandemic pushes Saydel student to find new art forms, win competition