Cadence Dondero’s Painted Pony Selected for LI Best Exhibit

Huntington High School junior Cadence Dondero has created something very special in art teacher Kristin Singer’s classroom. The teenager’s colored pencil on paper artwork titled “Painted Pony” is among a select group of 84 pieces chosen for display at the Heckscher Museum’s Long Island’s Best show.

Ms. Dondero’s inspiration for “Painted Pony” came from photographer Joanne Mulberg’s 1986 Chromogenic color print from the “Miss Fire Island Contest” of that same summer.

“Long Island’s Best continues to be the only juried exhibition for Long Island high school students that provides the opportunity to exhibit in a museum,” according to the Heckscher Museum of Art. “The Heckscher encourages students to think outside the box as they work in a broad range of media, styles, and subjects. This year, 63 public and private schools submitted students’ artwork for jurying. Four hundred two entries were received, and Consulting Curator Meredith A. Brown and guest juror Aaron Feltman selected 84 for display.” Mr. Feltman is a Huntington High School graduate.

Artist’s Statement by Cadence Dondero

‘Painted Pony’ was inspired by Joanne Mulberg’s ‘Miss Fire Island Contest.’ I was especially drawn to the colors, the fashion, the strong feeling of freedom and self-expression in her image.

In Mulberg’s work, the woman is holding onto herself with an air of confidence, in my art the horse is held onto the pole for support, unwilling to let go, following the same circular path instead of their own.

I chose a carousel horse as my subject to represent movement, transition and myself. The motion of a carousel is circular, not linear, which reflects how personal growth and identity are not always straightforward. Progress can feel repetitive and unattainable, especially when facing challenges like family pressure, social expectations, or political struggles.

Carousel horses are decorated, painted, and exaggerated, much like how queer and trans people use fashion, drag, and self-presentation as forms of expression and resistance. They are also controlled and displayed for entertainment, which connects to how trans bodies are often politicized or consumed by the media. Through bright colors and ornate details, I wanted to show joy as a form of endurance and freedom as an ongoing act.