Ty Hjelmeland
Updated: Apr 15
2026 Student Art Contest: Junior Division, Second Place
8th Grade – Arts & Communication Magnet Academy, Beaverton, OR
My art depicts Minoru Yasui and his lasting legacy with my design. The furthest background is a prison cell that is meant to symbolize the night Minoru Yasui got arrested and the reason why it is placed in the background is because it symbolizes everything else in the drawing is ahead of the bars. It’s where his journey all started and the prison was left behind as well as racism and oppression.
The government building with all the protesters is meant to show how Minoru Yasui’s legacy is still left behind today. The protest that is shown is a representation of the “Stop Asian Hate” protests in 2021-2022 and was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This relates to Minoru Yasui because it was the same thing he was fighting for but past his time, this shows how he affected the world today.
The balance.
The balance scale is used to represent the goal and outcome of Minoru Yasui’s work. It represents unity, equality, and balance.
Minoru Yasui looking out courageously is meant to feel powerful as he looks out and reflects on his journey.
The layout of the artwork was made by layered concepts which meant to represent a timeline or journey for Minoru Yasui.
I used colored pencils for every drawing. And the variation of the colors showed the emotion of each layer.
The jail cell background is gray with a purple hue meant to show how dull and relentless jail can be, the purple is meant to show how it’s also an opportunity.
The government building is peach and purple underneath while the outside is grey for the same reasons as the jail cell.
The protesters come in many different colors because humans are all diverse and no one is the same.
Both the balance scale and Minoru Yasui are colorful and vibrant so that their spirit is alive.
Left to right: Emily Thackray (Student Contest Chair), Ty Hjelmeland, Elissa Dingus (Student Contest Vice-Chair)
Ty's layered approach to depicting Minoru Yasui's journey is really compelling, especially how the colorful protesters contrast with the gray and purple government building to show that the struggle continues in new forms. The way you explained the balance scale representing unity and equality gives the piece such a powerful message. I actually had to look up more context on Yasui's story after reading this, and having reliable mp4 transcription tools would have helped me process the documentary footage I found about his legal battle much faster. Congratulations on second place, this artwork clearly resonates.
The choice to render the jail cell in gray with a purple hue is striking, especially since you describe purple as both dull and an opportunity. That tension seems central to the whole piece. I'm curious whether the purple was intended to visually connect the cell to the government building, since you mention both share that underlying tone. If so, does that suggest the struggle continues in different forms rather than ending with the arrest?
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