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Frozen Gears<br />
Ariel Lorenzi<br />
Grade: 12<br />
School: Jacqueline Kennedy<br />
Onassis High School,<br />
Manhattan<br />
<strong>Art</strong> Teacher: Elisa De Gregorio<br />
Black-and-white print from a<br />
digital photograph<br />
STUDENT: Being an artist has<br />
helped me to understand<br />
how an image can be<br />
interpreted in a variety<br />
of ways by different<br />
individuals, or even by the<br />
same person over a period<br />
of time. Ms. De Gregorio was<br />
my guiding light. During her<br />
lessons she made me strive<br />
for my best, and she made<br />
me realize that an artwork<br />
cannot be good if it is not<br />
a reflection of you. Taking<br />
photos was not as easy as I<br />
predicted. I focused on street<br />
photography, so it was hard<br />
to concentrate at times due<br />
to the stares of pedestrians. It<br />
was difficult to select and edit<br />
my work to best communicate<br />
my message. It forced me to<br />
realize what was essential,<br />
and to trust and believe in my<br />
choices. To accompany my<br />
work, I wrote:<br />
Our lives are full of obstacles,<br />
and sometimes we get stuck<br />
or perplexed. Should I go on,<br />
even when I know there will<br />
be other adversities or should<br />
I stay encased in ice, never<br />
moving? Like a bike whose<br />
cogs are broken and useless to<br />
use, at times we are unable to<br />
bring any comfort to ourselves<br />
and others. We become only<br />
the shell of the memory, good<br />
to drench our mind in what<br />
could have been.<br />
TEACHER: Students learned<br />
about photography as “writing<br />
with light.” They were asked<br />
to photograph objects that<br />
told a story about how they<br />
see themselves in the world.<br />
Through forms, shadow, light,<br />
and composition, students<br />
told their stories. They<br />
cultivated a unique vision<br />
through a portfolio of images.<br />
They developed art literacy<br />
by examining works of master<br />
photographers like Gordon<br />
Parks. Students wrote artist<br />
statements expressing their<br />
artistic intent in capturing<br />
their images.<br />
Ariel is a deep thinker. Her<br />
artwork reveals skill as well<br />
as an understanding of how<br />
objects can have significant<br />
symbolic relevance.<br />
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