A Look Inside the Museum of Modern Zuniga

Amanda Najbar, Editor|September 18, 2016

Last year at Lodi High School students said their goodbyes to Ms. Cusimano and wished her well on her retirement. This year, we welcome Ms. Zuniga as the new art teacher and we also welcome Ms. Zuniga as an artist!

Her journey towards an art career began in high school. At first, she saw doodling in her sketchbook and drawing people from magazines as a hobby, but after she was put into a drawing class as her elective freshman year, she thought about taking art seriously. Her art teacher, Mrs. D, in high school was a big factor in her decision to become an art teacher herself. Ms. Zuniga admired her kindness and appreciated her ability to challenge her as an artist in a supportive manner where she felt empowered by the strides she was slowly making.

Apart from Mrs. D, Ms. Zuniga admires and is inspired by artists Leonardo Da Vinci, Audrey Kawasaki, and Frida Kalho. “My favorite piece of art would have to be “Without Hope” by Frida Kahlo. I love her use of bright colors in contrast to the depiction of such a tragic moment in her life. Her ability to use personal tragedy as inspiration and drive to create thought provoking and controversial work is something I greatly admire.”

After completing four years of art classes and graduating high school, Ms. Zuniga turned onto a new blank page of her sketchbook and drew herself on a path towards Art Education at Montclair State University. Along with her education and art history courses, she took classes in sculpture, painting, metalwork and jewelry, ceramics, photography, printmaking, drawing, and graphic design. Most of her art classes were in drawing since that was her concentration. Senior year, she exhibited an independent study about depicting mental illness through portraiture. When asked about her creative process, Ms. Zuniga replied, “My creative process consists of three components: sketching to explore and develop my ideas further, listening to Lindsey Stirling to help me hone into my creative mode and constantly taking breaks to step back and look at my work from afar.”

Below are some of Ms. Zuniga’s stunning works of art.