“Since Covid-19 has started to spread in 2019, I’ve seen numerous attacks against people of Asian ethnicity. It pains me to see this happen to others, and knowing my family and friends could also be victims terrifies me. I decided to draw a portrait of Yeon-Mi Park, a young activist of North Korean descent. She has experienced multiple hardships throughout her life, but has remained diligent. I was inspired by the Canadian artist Prudence Heward, who specializes in portraits of women. Her art pieces motivated me to get out of my comfort zone and work on human anatomy. Therefore, I hope one day humanity will learn how to respect one another without any discrimination.”

—Hayeon Lee (Grade 10, L’Odyssée, Moncton, New Brunswick)

Prudence Heward (1896–1947) often made portraits of independent women who showed a confidence and assuredness that most artists did not portray in the mid twentieth-century moment when gender roles were radically changing for Canadian women, who had more of a public presence and started to protest inequalities.