蜜桃传媒

As an artist, I am driven to start tense, necessary conversations with the public on topics such as colonization in Latin America and its religious impacts on the culture. My work is invested in revealing people鈥檚 perspectives and reasoning that from them. Growing up Catholic, I have always loved the imagery in churches. However, as someone who has an interest in history, it is quite notable how much colonization is not spoken about in the Latino community, especially in the context of religion. Just having a conversation on it seems immoral. It is a conversation that should be had freely without guilt, as colonization and Catholicism are huge components to building the identities of Latinos today.

I usually create my artwork using media such as ink and digital art, as they have a powerful ability to convey difficult conversations. Digital art can be massively shared in a matter of seconds, anywhere, and to anyone, resulting in anyone being invited to the conversation. Meanwhile, prints can be quickly produced, are bold, and can start mostly local discourses. Both of these mediums are ideal to be the vehicle for the engagement that I seek to find within my audience. 

In essence, my art is mimicry, an attempt not just to copy the natural world, but to draw importance and appreciation to that which is common, and therefore often overlooked. The purpose of my work is not limited to the pieces themselves, but rather to invite viewers into the world around them in ways they may not have considered. My art is mimicry, yes, but it is also expansion. I tend towards more traditional means of creation, such as acrylics and watercolor, media which allows me to translate the particular beauties of nature as best I can. 

My work lately has been focused on the deep sea, the largest, most unknown environment on earth. More is known about space than about the roughly 70% of our planet made up of the ocean. My work explores how something so intricately tied to our own existences, a largely inaccessible world which is parallel to our own, strikes a sense of fear, and a sense of wonder. My work explores the curiosity found around the depths of the ocean, and what lurks beneath. 

In a highly consumerist society, I collect insignificant items. Discarded waste, seemingly unusable objects, and small pieces of life, repurposing them into mixed-media artworks. My practice is rooted in mindfulness, the act of being present in the moment, aware of the objects we see, touch, and hear. My process reaches beyond myself; I invite family, friends, or strangers to contribute through material donation. I aim to highlight the often-overlooked objects we encounter daily and explore their value. Whether it's a flyer handed to me on the street or scrap wood from my grandparents' deck, I find ways to give these items purpose. Through my work, I explore the interplay among humans, their surroundings, and the interconnectedness of people, objects, and places. 

I often generate pieces guided by music and work on installations in collaboration with artists specializing in modular synthesis and electronic music. In my travels around the world, Cuba and Austria have had the most significant impact on me as an artist and on my process. Through those experiences, I have enjoyed learning from artists and exploring the intersection of technology and art from other cultural perspectives. 

McCreary Salazar鈥檚 work in periphery meditates on her experience as a diasporic Chicana-American growing up in a town over ninety percent white, separated from familial heritage yet incredibly close to the family of eight she grew up with. Centered around American Gothic, her re-interpretation of Grant Wood鈥檚 1930 regionalist painting, this series of work examines personal identity, class dynamics, familial and cultural bonds, grief of lost loved ones and lost culture, and the intense love and loyalty grown out of turbulent times. 

McCreary Salazar raises the questions: What does it mean to be 鈥淎merican鈥�? What is the true 鈥淎merican Experience鈥�? The American Dream is one of class mobility and self betterment, but after  generations of work, what happens when one reaches the precipice of the storied middle class, only to realize that to fulfill the hard-earned dreams of your predecessors, you must benefit from the subjugation of people like them, people like you; you must profit from the exploitation of your brothers and sisters, your aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers and fathers? Must you fulfill the dreams they dreamt each night, or must you renounce what they worked all their life to give you?  

Roselyn Garcia-Mendoza is a Salvadore帽a American from Silver Spring, Maryland. They have always felt passionate about the topics of art, history and Central American culture. At 蜜桃传媒, they have been an intern at the Kohl Gallery for four years. Their work has also been featured at Kohl Gallery鈥檚 annual student 100 Proof Exhibition in 2023 and 2024. They had their work featured at Kent Cultural Alliance for Hispanic Heritage month in 2024. They interned for the Chestertown Public Arts Committee, researching the Woicke Collection that is on display throughout Chestertown. Despite demonstrating their knowledge and thoughts through the utilization of art, they plan to explore the world of museum work to amplify minority artists. 

Erin Helgerman was born and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland. At 蜜桃传媒, she is a double major in Sociology and Studio Art with a minor in Psychology. She spends her time collecting various materials to create intricate mixed-media collages and sculptures. Her works are driven by this collection of materials and exploring the interconnectedness of people, objects, and places. Her experience with community engagement at organizations such as Easterseals and the Starr Center has guided her artistic process. She hopes to pursue a master鈥檚 in social work to continue community-based involvement to further explore how art can inform and enhance the field of social work. 

Ella Jendrek is currently in her last semester at 蜜桃传媒 majoring in Studio Art and Biology.  Her interests lay largely in the communicative ability of artwork, especially as it pertains to the natural world. Growing up by the water, marine life has been a constant inspiration for both her interests in biology as well as her artwork.  Ella works largely in acrylic paint, and her process is driven by exploration and pushing the boundary of her abilities.  

Rebekah Naomi McCreary Salazar is an artist by necessity, not by choice. McCreary Salazar is a graduating Senior at 蜜桃传媒 majoring in Art & Art History and Hispanic Studies. Currently based in Chestertown, Maryland, she believes art is an essential form of human communication that embodies diverse narratives in a way impossible to achieve by words alone. To her, art is active, close, communal, not to be made distant or sterile. She considers herself a painter across all mediums, having been trained in watercolor and acrylics, with experience and interest in heritage art forms like fiber arts (felting, embroidery, quilting and weaving) and functional sculpture. She displayed work in the Washington College juried student exhibitions of 2023, 2025 and 2026. periphery is her debut group exhibition.