MIHS artist shines in competition with ‘Swinging Toward Freedom’
Published 6:30 pm Tuesday, June 30, 2026
When Isabelle Chung was searching for an artwork concept, she looked to the past and focused on the tragic day of March 7, 1965.
A civil rights march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, turned into a Bloody Sunday — as it’s referred to — when state troops violently attacked the peaceful marchers with tear gas and clubs.
Chung, a Mercer Island High School (MIHS) senior-to-be, learned about the 1960s civil rights movement in her advanced placement United States history class during the recent school year and it made an impact on the student.
Standing out in Chung’s mind was 8-year-old Sheyann Webb, who marched at Bloody Sunday and was involved in other marches and protests during that time. Chung saw Webb as an unsung hero in the civil rights realm and decided to illustrate the youngster in her painting, “Swinging Toward Freedom,” which she submitted into the 2026 International ARTEFFECT Competition.
In June, Chung received a Certificate of Excellence in the competition that was founded by international entrepreneur and philanthropist Lowell Milken for students in grades 6-12. She is one of 46 students worldwide to be recognized for their unsung hero artwork submission, according to the Mercer Island School District.
“Unsung Heroes are role models, largely unrecognized by society, who demonstrated extraordinary heroic traits and took actions in service to others that made a positive and profound impact on the course of history,” reads the competition website.
Also on the website, Milken proclaims: “When young people and educators engage with history through creativity, they not only uncover the past — they discover the power within themselves to shape the future.”
In her impact statement, Chung said she was shocked, extremely disappointed and heartbroken about the harming of innocent people at the march. When reading about Webb’s participation in the movement at such a young age and striving for change, Chung set upon bringing her acrylic on canvas board painting (16-by-20-by-1 inches) to life during an approximately four-month creative period on weekends.
Chung was motivated by Webb’s story while she composed the piece.
The painting depicts Webb swinging away from the darkness of the Edmund Pettus Bridge — where the march occurred and was engulfed in fear and inequality — and toward a colorful field representing equality and hope. Webb can also be seen speaking with Martin Luther King Jr. alongside signs that are emblazoned with the messages of “Equality for All,” “Freedom Now!” and more.
After Chung finished the painting and stepped back to give it a glance, she felt proud of what she accomplished. An unreal feeling overcame her when she later learned that a Certificate of Excellence was swinging her way.
“When I was drawing it, I began with the darker side and then I finished off with the positive side. I think she just is a very good role model for positivity, just like fighting through everything. For anyone, it can be very applicable,” said the Islander, who began doing sketches early in her life and got more serious about art in elementary school.
Chung continued discussing her painting journey by touching upon her artistic vision: “She was so young, which really surprised me and it was one of the main motives for the piece. A swing is very youthful, but she’s fighting for civil rights — and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s really inspiring.’”
While delving into Webb’s life, Chung’s fight through some public-speaking challenges in school came to the forefront. Chung has built confidence to speak up more in big group projects and attributes that change, in part, to Webb giving her a “big voice” as she worked on her unsung hero project.
“Swinging Toward Freedom” sits at Chung’s home for now, but it may be headed to the ARTEFFECT gallery in California soon, she said.
For more information, visit: https://www.arteffectlmc.org/
