Fine Art Collection 1

This year, art hosted online in this format will be alphabetical order. To find your submission and view others, please scroll down. If you do not see your submission here, please check this page as well.  They are in order of a

A drawing shows a small rabbit sitting on green grass, wearing a red mushroom cap with white spots like a hat. The sky is light blue with two simple cloud shapes above. Colored pencil lines are loose and scribbled, giving the grass and ground a busy, textured look.
Alaina is a 13-year-old autistic artist from Cookeville, Tennessee. Drawing helps her feel calm and confident, and she enjoys doodling and improving over time.
Chris Petulla - Self portrait

[Verse 1]
Disqualified and denied, I’m standing in this line
Don’t know if it’s my skin or my body that they mind
Years I’ve been trying, my son’s hand in mine
Just to buy a home, just to have a sign
I spent my savings, learned the rules and plans
Took two courses, did all that I can
Heard about a voucher, a chance to start again
Picked up the phone, but it just rang and rang


[Pre-Chorus]
Message after message, silence on the line
Feels like being punished for living my own life
Disabled or Black, or is it both combined?
Another hope fades for the millionth time


[Chorus]
Disqualified and denied, but I’m still standing here
Praying to God, holding back the tears
I’m tired but I’m trying, can’t let my son down
Someday we’ll find our home, someday safe ground


[Verse 2]
Saved a thousand dollars, they said they’d match me too
Thought I’d finally break this cycle, but hit another bruise
They told me don’t worry, just give us a call
But being disabled, I took another fall
They said once you’re working, maybe there’s a door
But my body won’t allow me like it did before
Still I smile in public, but I’m hurting inside
For my son I’ll keep fighting, though I’ve been denied
[Bridge] (spoken or sung)
I didn’t ask to be made this way
God gave me life, I’ll walk His way
I’m not asking for more than fair
I just want a home, someone to care


[Chorus]
Disqualified and denied, but I’m still standing here
Praying to God, holding back the tears
I’m tired but I’m trying, can’t let my son down
Someday we’ll find our home, someday safe ground


[Outro]
They don’t see my rent paid eighteen years straight
They just see my health and my skin they hate
But God’s still with me, my son by my side
We’ll break these walls they built to divide

A painting shows a group of round balloon shapes clustered together on thin black stems. The balloons are painted in red, pink, and yellow, with thick, swirling brush marks inside each circle. The background is a soft blue, and the paint has a slightly rough, layered texture.
Hannah is a 23-year-old student at Trousdale School. She enjoys art class and making marker drawings, especially dogs. She also likes walking on her treadmill and doing crossword puzzles.
A black-and-white drawing shows a group of pencils arranged in a circular pattern, all pointing toward the center. The pencil shapes repeat and curve, creating a spinning, tunnel-like effect. Dark black sections and lighter shaded areas alternate, with visible pencil marks adding a rough, hand-drawn texture.
Anna is a fifth grader in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She loves art and chose it as an elective to spend more time drawing and sketching.