MOPA@SDMA
17th Annual Juried Youth Exhibition
Explorations
The exhibition is on view Saturday, October 21, 2023 – April 21, 2024. Explore the exhibition.
Congratulations to the selected youth artists!
Selection Process:
The winner will be selected using the following criteria:
- Originality– The artwork is creative, unique, inspiring, and/or engaging.
- Theme– The artwork responds to the given theme of the current YX Call for Submissions. MOPA encourages creative interpretations of the theme.
- Quality– The artwork is a high quality piece, demonstrating thoughtfulness, intent, and use of the medium to communicate clear ideas.
A winner will be selected during the final jurying process in May of 2023. Notification and award distribution will occur immediately following.
Explore Previous Youth Exhibitions
2022: Magic and Myth
Visions of worlds beyond our grasp, tales shared over generations, and glimpses through the cracks of our known reality.
2021: Darkest Nights, Brightest Stars
A unique combination of imaginative artworks responding to two separate thematic calls for submissions: Growing Up and Space.
2019: Dreamscapes
An exploration of the subconscious and the ways in which we perceive dreams. The featured photographs highlight individual and collective hopes, fears, and future inspirations.
2018 Reverberate: Sound and Image
The student artworks explore a range of ways that we engage with and relate to sound. For some, music and language evoke memories and connections to family and culture. For others, the sounds of the city and the voices of others are overwhelming and chaotic. Some may not hear sounds at all, but feel and see them through vibration and resonance.
2017 Defining Boundaries
Youth artists explored a range of topics including physical boundaries, emotional boundaries, and societal boundaries in MOPA’s 12th Annual Youth Exhibition. Some artworks show boundaries as positive and protective, while others show them as limiting and binding.
2016 Animals Among Us
Inspired by the San Diego Zoo’s 100th anniversary, MOPA’s 11th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students in San Diego County and Tijuana to respond to the theme of animals through photography or video.
2015 Self/Reflection
MOPA’s 10th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students to explore their identity in a photograph. This exhibition was open to students throughout San Diego County and Tijuana.
2014 We Are Family
MOPA’s 9th Annual Youth Exhibition asked young people to use lens based media to explore what “family” means to them.
2013 My City, Your City
MOPA’s 8th Annual Youth Exhibition encouraged students to use photography or video to explore the meaning of home and community.
2012 Photosynthesis
MOPA’s 7th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students to communicate important ideas about the environment and sustainability.
2011 See/Saw
MOPA’s 6th Annual Youth Exhibition represented the most creative and original works of art produced by students who participated in a MOPA education program.
2010 Reflections
MOPA’s 5th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students to explore their culture and cultural identity through photography and film. This exhibition was open to students throughout San Diego County.
Featured: Justin Klein, age 12, Two Worlds Colliding, 2021.
