Swoosh! Dot! Scribble! An artistic soundscape—coloring a spectrum reflecting film, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and sketching—splashes into the hallway from classroom 216 each Tuesday after school as DePaul College Prep’s National Arts Honor Society (NAHS) prepares for their annual spring art exhibition, tentatively scheduled for late March or early April 2026.
NAHS Co-Presidents, Deren Bilgin and Freddie Zeilke, are the primary organizers and have curated the exhibition around the concept of “social advocacy,” as Zeilke described. Bilgin and Zeilke selected the 2025-2026 art exhibition theme after evaluating the previous year’s exhibition theme of “identity” and brainstorming similar conceptual frameworks that enable artistic exploration of universal experiences, finally selecting activism as the highlight.
“Everyone is going to be creating around advocacy,” said Bilgin, underscoring the ubiquitous nature of the exhibition’s focal point.
Aligning with this thematic exhibition, NAHS artists are required to create between one and three pieces of any artistic medium that illustrate a social injustice and echo an urgent message against prejudice, inequity, and discrimination. Engagement with this theme and participation in the art exhibition is one criterion NAHS candidates and inductees must meet in order to obtain or maintain their honors society membership.
“They have to choose a subject matter that is important to them,” explained Victoria Aguilar, DePaul Prep STEAM teacher and Moderator of NAHS. Aguilar reiterated that participation in NAHS’s annual art exhibition is required of all members, regardless of their status as a candidate or inductee, since it’s a signature event for the chapter.
“Everyone is going to have their own station set up,” she said. “If you pass, you’re able to advance and become a member.”
Aguilar expressed appreciation for Bilgin and Zeilke’s thematic curation because, as she explained, the premise of social activism gives student artists the opportunity to explore a diverse palette of topics, shaded from racial discrimination to climate change.
“Everyone is [working on] a different theme,” Aguilar said.
Most NAHS candidates and members are currently finalizing a focus for their pieces, harmonizing with the exhibition theme of social activism. Senior NAHS member Max Dopp, for instance, has decided to contour gender-based discrimination.
“I’m doing trans right,” Dopp said. “I have two paintings, but they’ll be one piece.”
Drawing on painting as his medium for expression, Dopp is aiming to convey transgender rights through a diptych (an artwork comprising two thematically cohesive panels, designed to be displayed together). As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Dopp resonates with the exhibition’s focus and is motivated to advocate for gender equality through his artwork.
Similar to Dopp, senior NAHS member Margo Vernon-Aldeen maintains a personal connection to her exhibition artwork. Vernon-Aldeen plans to carve a collection of line prints and deconstruct the implications of nationwide Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, intertwining lived experience into her artwork.
“[ICE presence] comes close to home because they are people I care about that are under risk,” explained Vernon-Aldeen. “I haven’t fully decided what my art is going to look like yet, but I am really excited to get started.”
Aguilar noted that multiple NAHS students, including Vernon-Aldeen, are choosing to examine immigration enforcement through their artwork, due to the topic’s relevancy amid headlines of mass deportation. Though no matter their targeted social injustice, all NAHS students’ artwork will be scored by three judges according to a pre-planned mark scheme, with a maximum score of 100 points determining eligibility for honors society membership.
“Out of 100 points, they need to get an A to stay inducted,” explained Aguilar. “A rubric is going to be shared with the students, so that they know what we’re looking for.” Regarding the assessment, Zeilke and Bilgin have determined that Aguilar, alongside DePaul Prep STEAM teacher Melissa Flynn and another instructor (currently being finalized by the NAHS Co-Presidents), will be scoring NAHS students’ exhibition artwork.
Aguilar emphasized the skill and intentionality she’s witnessed students invest into their artwork since January, in preparation for the 25-26 NAHS art exhibition that is quickly approaching.
“They’re very talented, and I’m very proud,” said Aguilar. “All of them are so dedicated. They are really into it.”
With the honor society’s fourth year in-progress, the spring exhibition is framed to exceed DePaul Prep student and faculty expectations as NAHS students brush through a diverse tapestry of mediums and paint their way to social advocacy, molding personal and evocative narratives for viewers.
“They’re not creating art that is checking off boxes,” said Aguilar. “We want to actually create something that’s meaningful.”
