Sabrina Chiharu Latendresse LaFaye is an artist from Nashville, Tennessee, currently studying art and architecture at Tulane University in New Orleans. From a young age, LaFaye displayed an instinct to absorb the world around her through artistic mediums. LaFaye won 8 Gold and 9 Silver regional medals and a national Gold and Silver medal in the Scholastic Arts and Writing competition earning her work featured in a two-year traveling exhibit across the country, beginning with a Carnegie Hall ceremony. LaFaye's current body of work includes the award-winning intaglio etchings, which narrate LaFaye's familial ecosystem as it relates to the ancient Japanese tradition of Ama pearl divers. As pioneers of the freshwater cultured pearl business on the Tennessee River, Latendresse LaFaye's family is deeply connected to nature, specifically water. LaFaye translates family photos and memories at the beach into works that honor her deep connection to her Japanese heritage and convey both a personal and universal connection to Mother Earth. "Each memory collected added to my understanding of the longevity of familial love and teachings," says LaFaye. "I observed how the passage of Japanese wisdom and affinity for exploring nature, especially water, remained noticeably prevalent with me, my cousins, our mothers, and grandmother."