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This is the 2025 Harvard Staff Art Show site. Navigate to the 2026 Harvard Staff Art Show site.

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Harvard Staff Art Show Celebrating the Creativity of Harvard Staff
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Portraits

  • A Black woman with clear tape over her mouth struggling to break free from its sticky hold throughout a progression of five images.
    “Invisible” Silencer
  • Two fisherman are standing in small white boat with a sea lion floating close by. The water is blue-green with a shallow rocky bottom.
    “Pancho”
  • Charli XCX poses in front of a deserted island with a coconut tree at night. "SOS" and the following Kamala Harris quote are etched into the sand: "You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all which you live and what came before you."
    2024 and it’s the same but there’s four more years so it’s not
  • An outline drawing of a black lab wearing a collar with the letters H U P D on it. The background made up of art nouveau inspired tennis balls. The name "Sasha" is written above the drawing.
    A best girl
  • A woman in a white T-shirt sitting at a blue table near an open window, with her hands on her head. She is focused on an intense game of cards with her partner.
    Agonia
  • A man sitting on the corner of a couch staring at the camera with a portrait of another man behind him, on a wood-paneled wall.
    All the things I couldn’t do right
  • A painting of a nude woman from behind, staring off to the right with a towel wrapped around her bottom of her body. She is surrounded by golden bubbles.
    Bath Time
  • Cross stitch of Lucky the Leprechaun, the Boston Celtics logo.
    Celtics Logo
  • A painting of a mountain and river landscape. In the center of the image, people wade through waist-high water, carrying bags and children on their shoulders. On land, uniformed officers on horseback try to apprehend the people navigating the river.
    Corner Here and There: Reflections of Resilience and Transience
  • In black and white, a nude female statue with no head or arms is grasped by multiple hands, with more reaching toward her body from all directions. In the background, a second female statue covers herself with her arms, and two female figures embrace. The scene is framed by a black background.
    Covered
  • A painting depicting the audience reaction to a live chess match in which chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov is playing the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. A row of fans watch the game live, while two TV screens in the foreground display a bird's eye view of the live chess board and Garry, with his head in his hands, contemplating his next move.
    Deep Blue
  • Two figures, one red and one black, stare ahead. They are somewhat android-like, constructed as if they have wide toothy grins, and positioned so it appears they are holding hands.
    Diablito & Calavera
  • Painting of a daughter and her father by the sea. The father is covering his daughter with a blue blanket.
    Dogrus
  • A confident, professional woman striding down the exterior stairs of a historic building wearing a stylish outfit reflecting modern fashion, complemented by a bold purse. The illustration captures her strong presence and determination in an urban setting.
    Empowered Elegance
  • A detailed portrait drawing of a person in profile against a softly shaded background. The subject has delicate facial features with prominent eyeliner and red lips. Their hair is adorned with intricate floral ornaments.
    Eyes of an Actor
  • A peacock looking straight ahead. Its green feathers take up the entire remainder of the image.
    Feathers of remembrance
  • An individual peers into another space with a similar individual staring back. Abstract geometric shapes in black and white create the abstract surroundings against a bright yellow background. The artist's first name is crossed out in the lower left corner.
    Find Yourself
  • A firefighter throws a wooden pallet into a large bonfire at night, with bright orange flames and flying sparks illuminating the scene against the dark background. Additional pallets are visible nearby on the ground.
    Firefighter Builds Bonfire
  • Cover page for the graphic novel "First Man to be Second," with fragments of the story shown in small panels. The shortened title "FM to BS" is shown in gray and orange squares in the middle of the image. Sections of a man's face are shown in tiles at the bottom of the page.
    First Man to Be Second
  • Watercolor painting of a boy in Gaza, looking up at the sky at a kite. A poem by Rafaat Alareer is hand written as part of the painting, reaching from the top of the sky down to the feet of the boy. The poem reads: If I must die / you must live / to tell my story / to sell my things / to buy a piece of cloth / and some strings, / (make it white with a long tail) / so that a child, somewhere in Gaza / while looking heaven in the eye / awaiting his dad who left in a blaze— / and bid no one farewell / not even to his flesh / not even to himself— / sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above / and thinks for a moment an angel is there / bringing back love / If I must die / let it bring hope / let it be a tale.
    Free Palestine!
  • A digitally rendered, stylized woman with long, flowing hair, in shades of yellow on a navy blue background. The image is shown on a white wall in a modern room.
    I am Worthy
  • The acrylic painting is a large black and white depiction of a woman's face. She is looking off into the distance with apprehension and a sense of foreboding about the unknown she's facing. What this might be is up to the interpretation and imagination of the viewer, allowing them to project their own worries and feelings.
    Into the Abyss
  • Pastel drawing of a young person's face. The subject has striking blue eyes, full lips, and subtle shading that highlights their features. The hair and background are softly blurred. The color palette, except for the eyes, is warm and neutral.
    Julia
  • A collage image depicting Priscilla Presley on the phone and driving away from Graceland with her child and dog. At the top left, the word "Priscilla" is written in cursive. A newspaper with a headline reads, “OLD NEWS” and “Sofia Coppola once again follows a woman who finds herself lonely while her husband does whatever he wants.” A woman with long hair is shown holding a phone, with speech bubbles saying, “KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING, BABY!” and “YOU'RE STARTING TO SOUND LIKE ME!” Another bubble says, “THE FLAME'S BURNING LOW SO YOU BETTER GET HOME TO START THE FIRE.” A car with a woman, child, and dog has a speech bubble saying, “FCK THAT SHT!” Text above reads, “Cars, dogs, and even dresses with coordinating handguns don’t compensate for an abusive relationship!” In the bottom right, it is signed “M 2024.”
    Keep the Home Fires Burning
  • Liz Bills has long brown hair and bangs, set against a dark background. She wears a black turtleneck adorned with small, sparkling dots and silver hoop earrings. Her face is turned slightly towards the camera, highlighted by subtle, colorful lighting effects that create a blurred, ethereal aura. This lighting produces a reflection of her face, particularly noticeable on the right side of the image.
    Liz Bills, Singer/Songwriter
  • A small dog with a white coat and brown markings sits on the back of a sofa, gazing downward. Sunlight illuminates the scene, highlighting a white orchid in bloom on a side table with two decorative vases.
    Lola and a flower
  • A drawing of two mirrored portraits of a woman, in colorful lines in shades of neon orange, pink, and blue.
    Looking in the Mirror Again
  • Portrait of a man drawn in shades of blue and pink. The man has shoulder-length hair and is looking to his right, towards the viewer.
    Marc
  • A bust of Medusa composed of different tones and textures of green and red leaves.
    Medusa 2 (Re-leaf Sculpture)
  • An indoor event with uniformed officers standing at the back of a seated audience. Multiple screens display a black-and-white image of a saluting child against an American flag backdrop. The bright, modern room is filled with people watching attentively, creating a formal atmosphere.
    No se ve desde acá
  • A green dumpster sits in front of a fence on a cobblestone street. A person dressed in all black is climbing on the dumpster and rummaging inside. Another individual is standing next to the dumpster, smoking a cigarette and looking at a smartphone, dressed in a checkered vest and pants.
    Occupations
  • An embroidered portrait of a young woman wearing a teal dress and a white hat.
    Portrait of a Young Woman in Teal
  • A woman with bat wings and ears sits in a pink dress, pensively holding a pomegranate.
    Pteropodidae
  • Self-portrait, with the head and torso shown in a hospital room. Green and blue patterns overlay the hospital gown and much of the background.
    Self-portrait, hospital series
  • A female surgeon prepares to operate by tying up her surgical mask.
    She will take the knife
  • A collage of sixteen different sketches of people riding the subway.
    Sixteen Subway Sketches
  • A monochrome drawing of a man climbing a rocky hill. He is leaning forward on his hands and knees, wearing a hoodie and shorts with hiking shoes. The landscape in the background shows a series of hills and a cloudy sky. Sparse vegetation appears along the hill's edge.
    So Close
  • Composite image of a ballet dancer in a white dress moving gracefully with arms held aloft.
    Stroboscopic Ballet
  • Three women in foreground facing each other on benches in train car. A mother cares for her two young children on a long bed under opposite window, braiding one's hair, as the train barrels along.
    Taking Care
  • A triptych piece. Left: blue-green image - a decomposing woman with a swirling purple background reflected on itself multiple times. Center: multi-color blocked image - a crying women superimposed on itself and reflected down the center. Right: a purple woman with pink hair breathing swirling smoke
    The Bizarre, The Unnatural
  • An embroidered woman with flowers inside of her standing holding a bone.
    The Grown Woman
  • A person stands with their back to the artist, reading a book, in front of a book shelf. There are books and items on the shelves, with plants cascading in front of the books.
    The librarian in her natural habitat
  • A vibrant street kiosk selling newspapers, magazines, and miscellaneous items. A woman is seen inside the kiosk, focused on her work. On the left, the Hermès store is partially visible, contrasting with the rustic and bustling vibe of the kiosk.
    The Neighbors
  • An elderly man is reading someone's fortune out of a bowl of water. There are two people facing one another, with the metal bowl in between them, illuminated by a blue light from above. The elderly man is wearing a white robe, and the person opposite him has his hands on the bowl, and is wearing rabbit ears and a scarf.
    The Old Man
  • Three snowmen, each wearing winter hats and scarves, in front of a backdrop of the night sky with stars and a crescent moon.
    The Snowman Family
  • Two conjoined twins, with red hair, parted pencil moustaches and sharing a blue suit, hold a lock of red hair and pose in front of a garden gate that climbs with nippled cucumbers.
    The Two Edgars
  • A male white-tailed deer walks through the tall autumn grass, with a spider riding along on a web woven between the buck’s antlers. Backlit by morning sun, a multitude of other spiderwebs strung between the grasses are illuminated.
    The Wandering Web
  • A tiger looking up at the sun, moon, and stars.
    Tiger day to night transition
  • Painting of two people in an embrace against a teal background. Their faces are obscured by splatters of white and blue paint.
    Tu y yo
  • The painting follows a circular motion feeding into all three planes simultaneously. The left quadrant was designed to be the brightest to catch the viewers’ eye because this is where I wanted the story to begin. Hun Hunahpu is wearing his traditional ‘ball game’ attire. Large green vines and human maize husks are coming out of him because he is in charge of populating the world. This is because one of the ancient codex texts called the Popol Vuh describes the ancient myth of how ‘gods formed the first humans through dough made out of white and yellow corn’, after clay and wood failed. He is also holding an orange gleaming and blossoming plant of cempasuchil (marigold) because it could not grow human corn seedlings for Frida (alluding to her 3 miscarriages). The plant is giving birth to three calaveritas (skulls). In the second plane, I replanted a cactus with my bare hands as an offering to Frida because at that time, that is all I had to give; a prickled, half broken heart.
    Un regalito del cielo (A little gift from heaven)
  • A photograph showing a bouquet of white lilies in front of the painting "Portrait of a Young Married Couple" (1621-22) by Flemish artist Jacob Jordaens.
    Wedding Lilies
  • This image depicts a suitcase (back and front) with the back side removed. The suitcase is covered in drawn portraits of famous authors, artists, inventors, comedians, and other figures from history and contemporary society who have generated famous or creative ideas.
    Whatcha got in there?
  • A detailed drawing of a budgerigar perched on a branch. The bird has a vibrant blue chest, with a white head and intricate black and white patterns on its wings.
    Winking budgie
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  • Galleries
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    • Abstract
    • Action & Movement
    • Animals
    • Architecture
    • Black & White
    • Crafts & Decor
    • Fashion
    • Flora & Funga
    • Music & Words
    • Nature & Landscape
    • Portraits
    • Still Life
  • Artists
  • Local Shows
    • All Local Shows
    • Allston
    • Longwood
    • Cambridge