Walnut Hill School for the Arts
Walnut Hill School for the Arts is an independent boarding and day high school offering an immersive and intensive educational experience designed for student artists in Grades 9–12, with a postgraduate gap year also available.
In the Visual Art Department, students acquire foundational skills and hone their creative impulses through personal practice, faculty guidance, and exposure to the work of peers. Classes ranging from drawing, ceramics, and painting to photography and apparel design are taught by faculty mentors who are also professional artists. Throughout the department, process is valued, focus is balanced by fun, and experimentation is celebrated. In addition to producing a portfolio of work, purposeful artistic practice allows students to build greater self-awareness and confidence, and develop an open mind-set crucial to their success in future pursuits.
The BFL is honored to host a variety of works from Walnut Hill’s students from January 29th through March 18th. The students who have contributed art to this show are Ace Ellis, Anisia Hanlin Cui, Audrey Kriz, Ava Thieme, Cindy Chen, Ella (YuFan) Zhou, Elle Stanley, Elliot Ellie Bible, Emma Feng, HuaYi Winnie Wei, Iris Hamilton, Jiaman Chloe Sun, Katelina Viana, Tsz Mang Lemon Ye, Winter Aiyue Qiu, and Yuan Jeong. Brief bios of some of the artists are included below.
You can also enjoy their work at The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) in the fall of 2026.
Student Artist Bios
Ace Ellis: I am a junior in Walnut Hill School. I have been doing art my whole life and this year have had a blast experimenting with new techniques and different ways to expand on how I think of conventional approaches to my art. I love to build upon my ability to think about processes, and how it affects my view of the world around me.
Anisia Hanlin Cui: I’m from Beijing. I like ceramic, sculpture, photography, and printmaking.
Audrey Kriz: Her work mirrors life through a distorted lens.
Ava Thieme: I am 18 years old, and I’m from Upton, Massachusetts. I would say that in my artwork I love to blend concepts that are whimsical and feminine with a layer of strangeness and humor. I take a lot of inspiration from history and nature, and I plan to go into art for college!
Cindy Chen: I currently study in grade 10 at Walnut Hill School. For me, art is a wonderful channel to show my inner thoughts and feelings. Right now, I’m embracing every moment of learning and exploring my creativity through practice.
Ella (Yufan) Zhou: Ella was born in Hangzhou, China, and currently lives in Los Angeles. Her artistic practice focuses on the human figure. Through her work, Ella invites viewers into an intimate dialogue between strength, vulnerability, and transformation. She has explored a wide range of media, continually pushing the boundaries of her expression.
Elle Stanley: I am a newly enrolled sophomore at Walnut Hill School. I am 15 and I am an illustration-based artist, working in mediums of colored pencil, paint, and digital, primarily. I plan to go to college for visual art or art marketing.
Elliot Ellie Bible: I’m a new junior at Walnut Hill School. I’m 16 years old and I am especially interested in printmaking and sculpture.
Emma Feng: I’m a freshman at Walnut Hill School. I am 14 and I love doing apparel and drawing.
Iris Hamilton: I have been at Walnut Hill School for 3 years now. I’ve taken up a love of sculpture works and printmaking. After school, I plan to study with a governmental/human rights focus in college.
Jiaman Chloe Sun: I am a junior at Walnut Hill School, and I am from Beijing, China. I love oil painting, especially scenes from my life. I hope to study art in the future.
Katelina Viana: I am a senior Visual Artist Major, most interested in comic and illustration work. My biggest inspirations are Akira Toriyama, Hayao Miyazaki, and many other comic artists and animators. My mother is from Argentina, and my father is from Brazil. My art is largely inspired by my experiences, and how everyone is different and unique.
Tsz Mang Lemon Ye: My name is Lemon; I’m from China, I’m 15 years old, and I love creating animations, writing poems, and all kinds of little animals. I hope to keep telling stories through animation in the future.
Winter Aiyue Qiu: I’m originally from Greenwich, Connecticut. My favorite artistic medium is ceramics, and most of my art is inspired by cultural and diasporic history. I plan to study philosophy, history, and visual art in college.
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