This piece is titled "Remember Druid Heights", made in response to an article I read about Druid Heights, a former haven of diverse and like-minded famous artists, musicians, and poets. Druid Heights was a place where artists of all backgrounds could express their ideas freely and without prejudice, notably being a safe haven for LGBT+ artists, such as influential lesbian poet Elsa Gidlow, one of the founders of the area. It stands as a symbol of diversity, artistic integrity, innovation, and inspiration. However, in modern day, it has almost been forgotten, and it's importance is lost on many. The original site is currently in disarray, threatening to be destroyed by the elements, and the preservation of such a monumental site is of upmost importance. In my illustration, I represent Druid Heights as an abandoned museum exhibit, left to collect dust in the back of some dusty storage room, a representation of it's abandonment today. However, there is a warm light from just offscreen, representing hope and the future; we need to remember what this place stood for, and work to embrace creativity in our modern day, and I believe that this can happen. This place holds special significance to me, being an artist myself; I feel that places artists and creatives can express themselves are dwindling, and it is important that modern society accept creatives for who they are and embrace their strengths, not force them to change and conform. Being on the autism spectrum myself, and having a good few friends in the LGBT+ community, I especially relate to Druid Height's importance as a safe place for artists of all backgrounds. It is important to me that we have places to discuss our ideas and spread our knowledge to the world. Art can give us hope in dark times and allow one to express themselves in a way that words alone simply cannot. I feel that creativity is an vital part of the human experience, and the fact that we have the capacity for artistic conceptualization and expression means that we should use it to the fullest for good. The piece itself also marked an important personal milestone for me as an artist. Before its creation, I was deeply unconfident in my work. I constantly felt I wasn't good enough, and that I couldn't ever make it as an artist. These feelings eventually spiraled into crippling self-doubt regarding many aspects of my person; my self-image was totally destroyed, and I was in a huge rut at that point in my life. When creating this art piece, however, something inside me lit up, and after looking at the finished product, some of that confidence returned. I was actually satisfied with it, happy, excited even. By finishing this piece, it proved to me that my self-doubts were only trying to keep me down, and that I really did have the skills to succeed. This piece is a symbol of confidence to me: a reminder that through embracing your skills and what you believe in, anyone can improve, and that it is vital to be able to express yourself in order to succeed. Druid Heights stood for all of these things, and I believe it is important to preserve the place's legacy as a symbol of creativity and encouragement. I've added the link to the original article the illustration is based off of below, if anyone would want to read it for more context. Links can't embed, so just copy/paste it into your browser. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230620-druid-heights-the-us-hidden-lgbtq-community