Nightmare on Main Street 2025 - Online Gallery - Artist Biographies & Statements

Oct 22, 2026

Upload by Aran

Nightmare on Main Street 2025 presents an online gallery of artworks inspired by the prompt to portray a scary story. The text explores fear as a shape-shifter, drawing on examples from historical painting and classic horror literature. It invites artists to use narrative art, symbolism, and composition to make inner fears visible. The document includes artist biographies, artist statements, and artwork listings, describing themes such as identity, pressure, recurring nightmares, and haunting or endless places.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages69

Reading Time26 min

AccessFree to download

Online Gallery Artist Biographies & Statements

Artist Biographies & Statements

Juror Prompt and Artistic Guidance

Nightmare on Main Street 2025 Online Gallery Artist Biographies & Statements With Additional Support from: Main St. Benefactor Members Beth and Charles Levinthal Bette and Paul Schneiderman Isabella Fernanda | Nightmare on Main St Juror Artist Quote for HAC Nightmare on Main Street Do scary stories give you a fright? Or do they wickedly bite your toes in sight…? In a scary story, fear is like a shape-shifter. It can disguise itself in the forms of nightmares, themes of death, or mysteries of the unknown. Feasting on our horrors, the narrative of our fears have ghoulishly shaped the scary stories we tell in the dark… Throughout history, mortals have used storytelling to craft haunting imagery. Frightening 18th century viewers, The Nightmare painting by Henry Fuseli, portrays a woman sleeping while a creature sits on top of her vulnerable soul. An eerily painted story that reflects the realm of nightmares. Another artist, such as Frida Kahlo, has used painted symbolism to evoke themes of death, and express the macabre stories of her own life. Similarly, in classic horror novels such as Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and Dracula by Bram Stoker, the stories of these monsters explore the supernatural and fears ofthe unknown. Chilling stories conjured by our fears, yet the monsters echo the shadows that dwell within us… When fear invades our brains with ethereal whispers and hellish wails, those melodies reveal the deepest parts of the self. To release the dissonance, we must learn to dance along with the tune. What’s your scary story? Using the medium of your choice, create an artwork that portrays a scary story. Use narrative art to vividly bring your scary story to life. Be honest, be expressive, even be playful. Think of symbolism, composition, and always remember the art of a good scare… Let your fears roam free, in plain sight for all to see! Artist Biography Isabella Fernanda is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York. Primarily working in visual and performance art mediums, her practice engages with the exploration of identity and self. Her work has been featured in film festivals, national and international exhibitions, and site-specific installations. She has exhibited at On the Spot L. I., Shockboxx, and at Ma’s House & BIPOCArt Studio. She has performed live on the streets and subways of New York City and has been digitally projected onto Long Island’s Village of Patchogue MoCA L.I.ghts’s site-specific installation. Fernanda received [her B.A. in](her B.A. in) Film and Screen Studies & Art from Pace University. Presently, Fernanda is the Exhibitions & Museum Assistant atthe Museum of Contemporary Art Long Island. As she continues to devote herself to the arts, Fernanda’s intention is to encourage the public to love both the familiar, and peculiar of the self. Morolaife Ahmed The Graveyard Pencil, 12” x 8” Memorial Jr. High School Kaylee Balkon The Last Sunset Digital Photography, 16” x 20”High School East Artist Statement: My name is Kaylee. I am a junior at High School East and I am currently taking photography III. I have been doing photography for 3 years now and it is my passion. I worked this summer at a day-camp as a photographer and I loved it. I love taking pictures of landscapes and light trails as well as people. Raniya Bawany Too Much Pressure Chalk Pastel, 12” x 18”Walt Whitman High School Artist Statement: This art piece is about feeling unworthy and pressured, feeling like you aren’t enough no matter what you do. I chose to create a piece like this because I feel that way often, and sometimes the pressure to “be better” is exactly what is holding me back. The juror’s prompt encouraged me to think about what scares me and show it openly. I wanted to make my fear visible, so I added hands grasping at me, digging into my skin, and masks to represent the words that make me feel like I’m not doing enough or doing too much. Red shows the anguish I feel, and blue sho

FAQs

What is the main theme of Nightmare on Main Street 2025?

The main theme is creating artwork that portrays a scary story, focusing on how fear can shape narratives and inner experience. Artists are encouraged to make their fears visible through their chosen medium.

What guidance does the juror’s prompt provide to artists?

Artists are asked to use narrative art to bring a scary story to life, considering symbolism and composition while staying honest, expressive, and playful. The prompt emphasizes releasing fears to be seen in plain sight.

How are fear and nightmares described in the document?

Fear is described as a shape-shifter that can appear as nightmares, themes of death, or mysteries of the unknown. The text also links frightening stories to storytelling traditions and to deeper aspects of the self.

Oct 22, 2026

Upload by Aran