Artists

Spring 2010

With Aki Sasamoto

I live in Tribeca and go to the Bronx High School of Science. I am interested in the social sciences, as well as art history and conservation. After taking a class in ethnography at the American Museum of Natural History, I became interested in culture, how identities are created and changed, and the impact of identities, both collective and individual, on history and the world. Art is perhaps the most idiosyncratic expression of identity and it is indelibly linked to a time and place, and as such, a culture. I have found that art can be understood satisfyingly on both micro and macro levels; it exists as movements and groups, and yet is propelled by individuals.

My name is Daphne and I am a seventeen-year-old Haitian American. In my free time I love to read books and learn about space. I first heard of Youth Insights through my guidance counselor when I asked about internships. I saw this program as an opportunity to broaden my horizons. I haven’t really been exposed to the art world much, and this is a great way for me to see what I’ve been missing. Art is a part of life and I would love to learn much more about it. Being in a museum affects the way I see everything around me, even the way I look at a simple building structure or graffiti on the side of a building. Now, I can think about what the artist was thinking while creating a work, and where he or she got the inspiration from.

The name that I have grown to love and embrace is Frantzceska, an amalgamation of all the things I would like people to take notice of: my individuality. I was born and raised in Haiti and arrived in the United States at the age of nine. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, because now I have a chance to make my dreams a reality. I am now residing in New York, having previously lived in Boston. New York has taught me that it is okay to be free, bold, and to express myself in various ways. Fashion makes my world go round, and that is just how I like it. It involves innovative thinking, abstract shapes, colors, and expression through clothing.

Hi, my name is Jeneice. I really love my name. I go to Cristo Rey New York High School. My hobbies are volunteering, going to the movies with my friends, and doing other things that are fun. My experiences and the people in my life have a major effect on the decisions I make. Art, music, and other expressions of creativity and individuality are very interesting to me. Also, I love to meet new people and to hear the perspectives of others. I am a person who is very open-minded, and I love to try new things. In the future, I want to become an OB/GYN, and will stop at nothing to achieve my dreams.

By going out and learning about the world, taking what I learn from my experiences, and turning it into art, I hope to inspire people, and change the way they look at the world and themselves. As a little kid I was always interested in art. But I was afraid of becoming an artist until my freshman year of high school when life-changing experiences convinced me that art was my true calling. Those two experiences are: a trip I took to Uganda to help orphans who had AIDS and winning an honorable mention in a website building competition. This experience taught me about the universal power art has to connect people. Through the website competition, I learned about the artistic ability I have and used my talents to put together the vision and graphic design for a website. In the future I look forward to pursuing art education and working to become a part of the global art community.

My name is Kate and I have lived in Manhattan my entire life. My family consists of a lot of artists and they have made me question and appreciate all the art around me. I have grown up surrounded by, and learning about art, visiting some of the most beautiful museums in the world. I am inspired by everything that surrounds me. Art, fashion, books, and growing up in New York City are probably my biggest inspirations. Books have heavily influenced the way I think, and have helped me form my own ideas about life. To me, art is the ability to capture one’s inspirations in some way, and to express one’s ideas. In my future, I hope to find any artistic talent I may have, and use it to its full potential.

My name is Michael. I’m a sophomore at the Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics. I was born and raised in the Bronx, although my parents are West Indian, from a country called Guyana. I feel like I find myself through artistic expression. Besides art, I enjoy coconuts, horror movies, and staying up past my bedtime. Music is my life. I am very interested in all genres of music because they each help capture the emotions I feel at a certain time. Science is one of my favorite classes in school. I like learning about the human body. In the future I would like to be a radiologist. I am greatly influenced by my cousin Veekah, who tells me all about her medical career. I find skeletal structures to be an amazing natural form of art.

My name is Mohine, and I am a seventeen-year-old student who currently attends Bronx High School of Science. I was born in Queens. My parents are from Bangladesh and my religion is Islam. I am a young girl who loves to learn. I am open-minded, and free spirited. I love to dance, write, and shop. My culture has influenced my whole life and how I look at things. Since I always want to make my parents proud, I follow their traditional ways and I am very proud of them. I find my culture different, exciting, and unique, which is why I love being a part of it. I love color and decorating in the Indian style. I also love traveling and going to new places. When I first went to Bangladesh, it was a whole different experience for me. The people there shared my heritage, and I enjoyed that since we had something in common. In the future I want to become a lawyer.

I’m the sort of person who never really knows what to say about herself, so I guess I’ll just talk about how I would like to spend my future at this point. After graduating college, I’d like to join the Peace Corps and go to a really random Pacific Island nation, like the Federated States of Micronesia, or something. Once I feel that I am finished with that, I suppose I will find a solid job somewhere, perhaps as a sound mixer for movies until I have enough money for a nice trailer with a diesel engine. At that point, I will drive around the world with a friend, starting with the Pan-American Highway. During this time, I will be making money as a meteorite hunter and a peddler of jewelry and tie-dyed things. I enjoy having my mind blown by the sheer scale of it. I do recognize, however, that I am seventeen and my hopes and dreams will probably be different by the time I am older. It is just nice to think about it for now.

Hi, my name is Octavia. I was born in America, but my background is African American, Puerto Rican, and Indian. I am a very fun and energetic person. I don’t usually have bad days. I am a very hard worker and I try to get things done as soon as I can. I spend most of my time outside because I like to have fun, explore the city, and meet interesting people. Maybe I’ll be the next Picasso! I imagine myself working in the same way when I’m doing collage, which I love to do.

Hello, I'm Oscar. I was born on August 25, 1994. I come from a Mexican and Puerto Rican background, or as I like to call it, "Mexirican." My father was an artist, though not really well-known. I never met him, but my mother has shown me a lot of his work. Since first seeing his work, I have been hugely interested in art. When I was little, I remember saying that I wanted to be an artist when I grow up. And that is still one of my goals today. As of right now though, I'm more into music than anything else. If that doesn't work out, I will definitely fall back on art. My mother has told me that my father’s side of the family was greatly involved in art. Two of my uncles are artists in Puerto Rico. And they told me that my father was a better artist than both of them put together. If I could meet my dad one day I would be very honored to be his son.

Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, I've always been a city boy. I wasn't necessarily wealthy, but my father was always a hard worker. He worked to bring my mom and me here. I was raised in Brooklyn for most of my childhood in a three-floor apartment building with my family: cousins, aunts, grandmas, my mother and father, my sister and brother. Art to me is essentially any thought expressed through a physical creation. I like art that causes controversy, art that makes you think, art that allows you to wander, art that captivates you, art that pushes you away. Personally, I like to look towards nature and people's actions and remnants of their actions for inspiration: much like a neglected can of soda, an abandoned car, or a giant hole dug at the beach.

I am a passionate artist who seeks to attract people with creativity and draw a curtain around them. Of course, my attempt is to shut people inside the curtain and never let them out. Behind the curtain, I wish to allow them to become acquainted with me through my works of art and writing. Not only do I like to draw the curtain around people, but I also love exploring the space behind other artists' curtains. I have always had a burning desire for expressing my creative thoughts, images, and philosophy. In order to realize my dream of becoming an artist/writer and influencing the minds of many people, I have engaged myself in the world of art and writing as much as possible. I pay attention to the world that surrounds me. I was born in Seoul, South Korea. I arrived in the United States in the summer of 2007. I am currently attending Bard High School Early College.

I was born in Tibet and raised in India. I learned everything from my heritage. We had to struggle for our living. I was brought up to work hard and earn the happiness that comes into my life. Nothing comes easily, unless you work hard for it. I want to fulfill my dreams, achieve my goals, and set a good example for my family and friends. In my free time, I like to watch dramas, and I also like to make art. I want to have a better life that fulfills my parents' hopes and wishes. I just want to try my best to make my parents happy.