I have done a short lecture about my experience with HTAC and my ambition to sell my work.
I realize I never posted this outline in my Blog, and in preparation for my own presentation, this outline will be a great starting place and resource:
If there is one thing that I have learned over my High School experience, it is that education is what you make of it.
I have always loved art. (Show picture)
This is a picture of myself at age 4 in front of a Valescas Painting at the Prado in Madrid. As a child I strived to be like that. As you can see from the picture: I loved to wear dresses. I wouldn’t just wear one dress, I would wear multiple dresses at the same time, sometimes up to 5 or 6! I only wanted to read books about Princesses, I was obsessed with Marie Antuanette, I even wrote a “book” dedicated to her at age 8.
I had a strong identity, I loved being around people. My parents would have a hard time picking me up from play dates because I would have conniptions, I would beg them to let me stay.
When I entered my teen-age years I lost touch of who I was in someways. I became preoccupied with facebook, popularity, boys. I was concerned about what other people thought of me. I stopped drawing. As an underclassmen I was fairly uninvolved. At school I did my assignments, but I never took advantage of the opportunities the Ithaca Community has to offer us.
At the start of my Junior year I was inspired to become involved with the club Pennies for Peace. (Which is now called Help the Afghan Children) Two former students: Amari Suskin-Sperry and Rebecca Gilovitch began this club with the support of Mrs. Scholl, after reading the book Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortonson. This book uncovers how precious and necessary education truly is.
Only 20% of women in Afghanistan are literate.
Unfortunately their culture hasn’t promoted education as a strong option. I now think of these girls, we may have had similar dreams. But so much of our world revolves around learning. So many world issues are present just because so many can’t decipher patters that become words
Last year we raised over six thousand dollars to support a school in Afghanistan for a year. This year we have a similar goal. We also have the opportunity to do a cultural exchange with the school we are supporting. We are hoping to develop relationships with these children to promote peace and understanding.
This year I am taking WISE English, for those of you who are not familiar with this class it is, for the first semester a regular English class. In the second semester one embarks on an individual project of their choosing. I see my involvement with HTAC as an opportunity to connect my passion of art, with my love of understanding the lives of others. For my WISE project I am drawing the portraits of the girls who attend our sister school in Afghanistan and having them displayed within the community. I hope the faces of these women may attract the attention of individuals to see the power of helping and understanding others.
I feel strongly now that art has not only helped me find my own identity, but may hopefully effect the lives of others.
I have a short video I’d like to show you about the French graffiti artist JR, and how his global work is changing the world.
This is such a learning process for me. I think that art is so often dismissed. I believe that we are visual people. I could stand up here and read off a list of statistics about how the world is unjust. But I don’t think that would make a lasting impact.
JR does something special he confronts the idea that we are all different. He celebrates that idea. In general our society offers us a one sided perspective of cultures. Whether we like this idea or not we are all hold misconceptions about those around us.
For example: When I ask you to visualize what an Afghani woman looks like what do you imagine?
This is true about everyone. We tend to classify people. Here in our own High School. In this room. I admit I do it all the time.
But what is important and interesting to me, is to separate those preconceived images from the figure. I want to display work that shows these girls as individuals with a true identity. Here are some of the photos we received from our sister school in Kabul:
And this is what I am going to produce: http://de-ap.com/
So many people ask my “why are you just recreating the images?” “why don’t you just show the pictures.” Art for me, is about the learning process. Like everything else. I am constantly amazed by how the detail of individual features reveal character. The marks of my pencil will gradually develop into an eye that look back at me or an ear that can listen to my stories. It is as if I am making new friends. Of course there would be occasional arguments, leaving behind an unintended smudge or a splatter of undesirable color. But in the end the mistakes made these people less perfect and in that way - more real, adding uniqueness to their character, and on occasion even enhancing our relationship.
I think from all of this I am really just trying to say that education isn’t just about the books you read, or the homework you have to do. It is about us discovering what really interests us.
It’s funny because I remember being a freshman, and being embarrassing by the fact that I do well in school. Imagine that? Being embarrassed by my success? High School is such an important time. I realize that now that I’m almost done, and I truly wish that I had realized that earlier. For those of you who this interests it isn’t at all to late to make something of it.
Maybe for you High School is all about taking risks, trying to be cool, whatever that means.
Today, talking in front of all of you was me taking a huge risk. Speaking in front of my peers about something I am truly passionate about is terrifying. Because I really have no idea how any of you will react. But if feels so good.
If any of you are interested I would love to have to join HTAC, or even just attend one meeting to see what we do.
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